Teenage trio jailed after crime spree

Three teenagers from Cardiff have been jailed after carrying out a burglary spree in which eight cars and six bicycles were stolen in just over three weeks.

Jacob Lawday, 19, Evan Andrews, 18, and Mackenzie Daly, 19, were responsible for a series of offences committed over a 22-day period last summer across south Wales.

The offending began in August, when Lawday and Andrews broke into a property in Llanmaes and stole three sets of car keys. They then drove off in a Kia X-Ceed and a Mercedes E220 that had been parked outside the address.

Both vehicles were later recovered in the Penarth area after their owners used tracking devices.

While officers were at the recovery location, they noticed a Range Rover being driven suspiciously nearby. Checks revealed the vehicle was displaying cloned registration plates and had been stolen from an address in Cardiff three days earlier.

When police attempted to stop the vehicle, Lawday and Andrews ran off but were caught after a short foot chase.

Despite being arrested and released on bail while enquiries continued, Lawday and Andrews went on to commit further offences in September. Over two days they targeted four more properties, including an address in Ogmore By Sea, stealing a BMW and a Peugeot.

The BMW, which was fitted with a tracking device, was later located in Cardiff.

CCTV footage showed the car travelling alongside a Ford Transit van. An eyewitness helped officers trace the van to Penarth, where it was stopped by police. Andrews was driving, with Daly and Lawday as passengers.

A search of the van uncovered four stolen bicycles and a BMW car key, linking the trio to multiple offences. All three were arrested at the scene.

Detectives later pieced together evidence from CCTV, vehicle tracking data and witness accounts, leading to the teenagers being charged with a series of burglary and theft offences.

At court, all three admitted multiple counts. Andrews and Daly were each sentenced to 32 months in a young offender institution, while Lawday received a two-year prison sentence.