Three men who targeted Carlo Ancelotti's home jailed for a combined 23 years
They stole designer shoes, handbags, jewellery and cars
Carlo Ancelotti, then Everton manager, was among victims of a highly professional burglary gang who've been put behind bars for a total of 23 years.
Two of the team broke into the house in Blundellsands, North Liverpool, via the balcony while his partner Maria Berrana and her teenage daughter were in the premises.
The daughter screamed at realising intruders had got in but fortunately there was no confrontation though they got away with jewellery, a safe, a £2,000 designer handbag and credit cards using a pillow case to take away their haul.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that two of the gang, Shaun Rimmer and Adam Hastings were shown by telephone data to have been carrying out reconnaissance of the area in the days before the raid.
Michael Scholes, prosecuting, told how the offences were invariably carried out in the later afternoon or early evening as two members of the gang were on tags as part of their licence conditions.
Rimmer, Hastings and Callum Martin were tracked down as part of a police investigation, Operation Coliseum, into the activities of the burglars, who were led by Hasting and Rimmer using stolen cars including high performance BMWs and Audis.
During the conspiracy, which ran between January and April last year, the raiders targeted properties throughout Merseyside as well as Lancashire, Cheshire and on one occasion a property in Norfolk.
Mr Scholes said that “some premises were targeted because of the likelihood that firearms would be present and at the very least those involved showed no reluctance to remove firearms when available.
“The offences were invariably committed in the late afternoon or early evening prior to 7pm as Hastings - and Martin when he joined the conspiracy - were subject to tagged curfews as a licence condition.”
He told the court, “There were at least 32 properties which were the subject of the attentions of the conspirators and were invariably ‘high value’/exclusive detached properties frequently located in relatively secluded or rural areas particularly those properties targeted in the Formby and West Lancashire areas.”
“The team had access to a number of high powered stolen vehicles and most significantly a very large supply of ‘cloned’ number plates which were deployed to disguise the vehicles they were using from the attentions of the police.
“The conspirators showed themselves to be highly forensically aware not only in the use of cloned plates but also by almost invariably avoiding use of mobile phones for significant periods before and after the offences were being committed to avoid cell siting.
“CCTV footage shows that whenever engaged in offending they wore face masks/balaclavas or similar to prevent facial recognition,” he said.
The court heard that the gang got away with tens of thousands worth of property including watches and jewellery, including items of great sentimental value.
At one property in Formby they got away with £60,000 worth of items including two pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes, designer handbags and jewellery. They also stole a Mercedes worth £55,000 from a property in Cheshire.
29-year-old Rimmer, was jailed for seven and a half years to run consecutively to an eight year sentence imposed for causing death by dangerous driving in Scotland on September 21.
Hastings, 31, was jailed for ten years nine months and Martin, who joined in the conspiracies at a later stage received four years five months. All three men, of no fixed address pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and three offences of possessing a shotgun with a certificate.
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said:
"Shotguns and firearms were taken in some of the burglaries, and that is a deeply concerning aspect.
“Clearly, the fact that you were prepared to steal such dangerous weapons - which could only have been intended for transfer within the criminal community - is a material aggravating factor."
The court heard that at least one stolen weapon has not been recovered.
Detective Inspector Darren Hankin said:
“The sentencing of these three men has come on the back of an 18 month investigation where it was a huge team effort.
“There has been some exceptional investigative work that has led to these sentences, in particular the efforts of Detective Constable Neil Jones.
“The Op Castle team has spent considerable time carrying out enquiries in relation to these burglaries and I hope this sentencing brings some comfort to the victims.
“We understand that burglary often has a massive impact on victims. It can be a really personal and invasive crime and victims can struggle to come to terms with offenders having entered their homes and stolen personal items, which don’t always have huge monetary value, but on a personal level can be irreplaceable.
“Key to these successes can often be information from those communities targeted, so I would continue to ask people to report anything suspicious, and come forward with any information you may have seen or heard.