A group of four men, aged between 35 and 50, have been sentenced to a total of more than 15 years in prison for stealing 33 Land Rovers valued at approximately £600,000. The crime spree, which lasted for eight months between September 2024 and May 2025, saw the gang target the vehicles across six different police force jurisdictions.
The men, identified as Leonard Hodgkins, Jimmy Butler, Benjamin Hobbs, and David Hodgkins, often committed their thefts in car parks and at business premises. CCTV footage captured one incident where the gang used an angle grinder to break through a lock and steal a Land Rover Defender parked in a customer car park.
Their operation was eventually dismantled when West Mercia Police raided a caravan belonging to Jimmy Butler, 41. Inside, officers found clothing that matched that worn by a suspect in CCTV footage, leading to the apprehension of the remaining gang members on November 11 of the previous year. Police bodycam footage documented some of these arrests.
One clip shows Leonard Hodgkins, 50, attempting to evade officers in a cemetery after being recognized by his attire. Meanwhile, David Hodgkins, 40, was arrested in bed during a raid on his home.
Analysis of mobile phones seized from the group revealed they communicated while traveling in convoy with the stolen vehicles. Benjamin Hobbs, 35, operated a workshop in Bristol that investigators described as a 'chop shop,' where the stolen Land Rovers were taken to be dismantled for parts. Officers discovered components from the stolen vehicles, along with documents and clothing from one of the cars, at this location. Some vehicles were identified by their owners, while others were confirmed through the use of keys found in the vehicles' bulkheads.
Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data and phone forensics also linked Hobbs and his workshop to the other conspirators and the stolen vehicles.
Leonard Hodgkins received a sentence of four years and nine months, Jimmy Butler was sentenced to three years and eight months, Benjamin Hobbs to four years and four months, and David Hodgkins to three years. All four men had previously pleaded guilty.
Detective Sergeant Mark Jones of West Mercia Police stated, "This was a complex but ultimately successful investigation that tracked down and prosecuted this gang of car thieves, so we are pleased to get these sentences today as their criminality harmed many people in our force area and neighbouring forces too."