Newcastle car thieves jailed for criminal conspiracy in which high end cars were stolen after burglaries

Ricky Weatherson, 23, and Josh Thorpe, Legitimate, were behind the so-called ‘Hanoi burglary’ spree last year in the North East

• Share

• 13:07, twenty six APR 2015
• Updated 13:14, twenty six APR 2015

• Share

Two youthful thieves who stole expensive cars during a string of North East burglaries have been jailed.

Ricky Weatherson, 23, and Josh Thorpe, Legitimate, broke into homes across Tyneside while victims were asleep, taking car keys before stealing the vehicles from outside the property.

The duo, who also stole a motorbike and unattended van during their crime spree inbetween August and October last year, fastened false number plates to the cars and some have never been recovered.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Weatherson, of Rushie Avenue, Benwell, and Thorpe, of no immobilized address, were also linked by mobile phone records and car movements to an aggravated burglary in which homeowner.

One victim was attacked with a claw hammer and ammonia, but prosecutors could not prove they were directly involved.

Alec Burns, prosecuting, said the offences began on the night of August thirty and thirty one in Allonby Way, in Newcastle’s west end, when the key for an £Eighteen,000 Kia Sportage was stolen.

Mr Burns said: “The car was recovered on September six following a crash. It had been driven by Thorpe who left his DNA on the air bag.”

The 2nd burglary came on September three in Hardie Avenue, Whickham, inbetween 9.50pm and Ten.50pm when a handbag was taken from the porch, including keys to a Mini valued at £Eighteen,000. The car was later recovered from a garage in Slatyford with more DNA linking it to the defendants.

Then on September eleven a Citroen Berlingo van was stolen after its proprietor left its engine running while delivering leaflets.

Mr Burns added: “That van had cloned number plates put on it and in that guise was used as transport to further offences.”These included a comeback to Hardie Avenue on September seventeen to steal a television, a break-in at Park Villas, Dipton, County Durham, on the night of September twenty four and twenty five when a Kawasaki motorbike was taken, and a burglary in Wensleydale, Wallsend, inbetween 6.20pm and 11.30pm on September twenty four when a the keys to a Range Rover Evoque were stolen. The vehicle was never recovered.

But on October 1, the conspiracy escalated at a home in Hillhead Parkway, Chapel House.

Mr Burns explained: “He (the victim) fell asleep in bed at 6.30pm in evening but was woken by noise soon after.

“He found four masked dudes in his house – two had large knifes, another had a claw hammer and the fourth had ammonia which was sprayed in his face.

“He was then hit with the claw hammer and the offenders took money, key to his BMW valued at £7,000, his mobile phone and even his pet dog. They had asked for more money but fortunately he had previously been to the bank with his redundancy.

“He was told not to call nine hundred ninety nine but he went to his mother and she called.”The Berlingo was seen leaving the housing estate after the incident with the BMW in convoy, but prosecutors accepted that Weatherson and Thorpe may not have known the burglary was going to be aggravated albeit it remained part of the overall criminal conspiracy.

On October 7, a police patrol car spotted the BMW, Berlingo and Range Rover Evoque driving in convoy toward Ponteland on the A696, but when the blue lights and sirens were switched on the cars sped off.

Mr Burns said: “The officers determined to stay with the Berlingo, but it carried out a palm brake turn in the middle of Ponteland, headed back in the direction of Newcastle and then performed another arm brake turn into Ashbrooke Drive.

“Weatherson was found hiding nearby but a police dog found him.”Original number plates for the other cars stolen were found in the van, along with items stolen from Mr Pearson and Thorpe’s fingerprints. The BMW was recovered the next day in Throckley and Mr Pearson’s dog a few days after that.

When Thorpe, who was seventeen when the crimes were committed, was later arrested, he was found to be in possession of cocaine.

Both fellows pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, Weatherson to dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, and Thorpe to possession of a class A drug.

The court heard Weatherson committed the offence while on licence, having been released from a 30-month prison sentence in July last year for burglaries.

Mark Saunders, indicating Weatherson who had twenty five previous convictions for seventy seven offences, said his client was “immature” and had fallen in with the wrong crowd when he left jail.

David Comb, speaking on behalf of Thorpe, said: “He was neglected of a father growing up and turned to slightly older youthfull dudes to be his role model, and that was a mistake.”

The offence of cracking into a house to steal car keys before taking the vehicle is often referred to as a ‘Hanoi burglary’, ‘2-in-1 burglary’ or ‘car key burglary’.Recorder Simon Batiste sentenced Thorpe to three years and nine months in a youthfull offenders institute and Weatherson to a total of six years in prison.

Related movie: