TWO Erdington men who terrorised delivery drivers in a series of raids across the West Midlands have been jailed for helping to steal £53,000 worth of cigarettes.
Andrew Taylor, aged 27, of The Feldings, Erdington and John Donnelly, aged 38, Ripley Grove, were part of a four-strong gang who stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco from dozens of delivery drivers between February 2009 and September 2009.
Taylor and Donnelly were sentenced to two years and six months on Friday (May 20), as was their accomplice David Malloy, aged 35, of Elford Grove, in Birmingham. A fourth gang member, Alexander O’Reilly, aged 34, of Maple Grove, Birmingham, received an identical sentence, but is due to be released because the length of time he has spent on remand exceeds his sentence.
The repeated thefts led to a massive investigation involving Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands police forces, who examined more than 170 offences across the entire region…..
