Using 4x4s with false number plates, they spent nine months targeting rural areas in England and Wales.
They broke open manhole covers, cut and dragged out BT Openreach cable running miles underground, then winched it on to a vehicle.
Billy Lee Jnr, 24, Levi Lee, 22, Samuel Sheady-Jones, 23, and Ashley Byford, 26, caused a £750,000-plus loss to BT and other victims including families and businesses.
The gang homed in on cable and plant material in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Wrexham.
This story is from the November 04, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 04, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ruth: My very painful divorce from Eamonn
TV favourite Ruth Langsford has spoken for the first time about her \"very painful\" split from husband Eamonn Holmes after 14 years of marriage.
'Utterly cowardly' teen driver jailed after crushing boy, four
A TEENAGE driver who crashed into a four-year-old boy at a bus stop was sentenced to 26 months in youth detention yesterday.
What we all want in 2025: Good news!
SPONTANEOUS day trips and extra lie-ins are among the 50 simple things we all want more of this year.
Sara Sharif judges finally named
THE three judges who oversaw family court hearings involving Sara Sharif in the years before she was murdered have finally been named after a legal ruling.
Staying active helps brain to fight dementia
BEING active throughout life and particularly before the age of 50 leads to brain changes that may stave off dementia, a study has found.
Five years on from Brexit the work is far from done
BREXIT broke Britain free from the feuding and failing European Union. Now we need leaders who will deliver on its promise. The vote to quit the bloc delivered an almighty shock to political elites across the world, demonstrating that British citizens will not surrender their sovereignty to distant technocrats.
'WE NEED PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN BREXIT'
NIGEL Farage has vowed to deliver the Brexit 17.4 million people voted for if he becomes Prime Minister at the next election.
'Haunting final text' wife named by relatives
A YOUNG woman who sent a haunting final text shortly before she was killed in the Washington DC plane crash horror was yesterday identified by her heartbroken father-in-law.
67 die in mid-air 'preventable' crash
'No survivors' as US Army chopper collides with plane
It's no chore... packed family life gives birth to time-saving micro-workout
BUSY parents are struggling to find time for exercise, with 71% turning to \"micro-workouts\" that fit around chores, a poll shows.
