Burglars who targeted care homes, schools and doctor’s surgeries are jailed

Over a two-year period between 2023 and 2024, Lincolnshire Police has revealed the co-conspirators targeted vulnerable organisations in 13 different counties that spanned mainly the East and West Midlands, but also reached as far as Dorset and Hampshire.

Amongst the organisations targeted across Lincolnshire were doctors surgeries in Market Rasen, Boston and Alford: and care homes in Louth, Market Rasen and Woodhall Spa.

It was a dogged investigation from Lincolnshire Police led by Det Sgt Adam Petty - working with a single analyst and one financial investigator - that uncovered the gang’s criminality.

Despite them targeting 16 doctor’s surgeries, 10 care homes, seven schools, five hospitality venues, five hotels and two hospices, the persistence of Lincolnshire Police and attention to detail that snared the gang, leading to their arrests in 2024 and their eventual sentencing at Lincoln Magistrates' Court for conspiracy to commit burglary and fraud:

Darren Wykes (46) of Kempley Avenue, Coventry, was sentenced to five years and five months.

George Quinn (57) of Ansty Road, Coventry, was sentenced to five years.

David Ovington (59) of Skipton Gardens, Coventry, was sentenced to a 21-month term, suspended for two years.

Daniel Sutherland (40) of Sedgemoor Road, Coventry, was also sentenced to a 21-month term, suspended for two years.

According to Lincolnshire Police, all four were part of a highly organised criminal gang preying on unsuspecting people as they worked, deceiving and exploiting them for their own selfish financial gain. The gang leveraged their cross-border activity to evade detection.

Det Sgt Petty, of our Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "These unscrupulous fraudsters targeted hard-working people doing their utmost for their local communities, using every trick in the book to deceive and manipulate their victims.

"They would callously engineer a spurious scenario to create a situation of panic, taking advantage of the victims while at their most vulnerable, to fraudulently obtain their PIN. But through sheer hard work and dedication and meticulous data analysis, we have been able to bring these offenders to justice.

"For a force with such limited resource, we are delighted to have helped deliver justice for so many victims."

The group’s main tactic would see Wykes unlawfully enter a premises and target unattended bags or jackets to steal purses or wallets. Wykes would call Quinn using unregistered burner phones used exclusively for passing him details of the stolen cards and wallet contents.

Quinn would then call the reception of premises from where the wallet was taken – claiming to be from the bank named on the card, or a police officer – and ask to urgently speak with the person named on any debit cards that Wykes had stolen. He would provide false details on how their purse or wallet had been found, making up spurious stories of having been notified of someone trying to use their cards in various stores.

The victim would check their bag or jacket and find that their purse or wallet was missing, which lent more credibility to Quinn’s false claims. In some cases, they would provide their PIN ‘to be able to reverse these fraudulent transactions’.

Wykes was often seen wearing a blue baseball cap and covid mask, making it difficult to cross-check his identity.

Wykes entering a travel agent in Skegness to purchase £4,000 in foreign currency using a stolen debit card

During their two-year operation, the gang used 20 phones – six of which were burner phones, which are cheap phones loaded with prepaid credit. They are often discarded after a short time in an attempt to avoid being traced. They also used four vehicles.

Wykes saw £447,000 go through his bank account, £127,000 of which was cash paid in at Post Offices in the Coventry area.

Lincolnshire Police said the Force is now pursuing action through the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover stolen property and funds.