Gang jailed for stealing nearly £1 million worth of BT Openreach network cable
The group targeted cable across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and North Wales - and they have been sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison
Last updated 1st Nov 2024
A gang responsible for the theft of almost £1 million worth of BT Openreach network cable has been sentenced to a combined total of 14 years in prison following an Essex police investigation.
The group, targeted cable and plant material in rural locations across Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Wrexham. They used 4x4 vehicles displaying false registration plates to access manhole covers, cut the cable, and winch it into their vehicles. This operation resulted in significant disruption, leaving thousands of customers without service, including both homes and businesses.
Detective Inspector Frazer Low stated, “This group caused widespread disruption across a number of areas in England and Wales over a nine-month period. There was a significant impact on Openreach as a business totalling more than £650,000, which includes the cost of replacement of copper cable, materials, labour, and any traffic management and civil engineering costs.” He added that the group’s actions led to 16,000 customer lines being disrupted, with vulnerable individuals potentially cut off from essential communication.
The investigation began when police discovered a 4x4 vehicle in a field in Earith, Cambridgeshire, surrounded by evidence of stolen cable. Forensic testing led to the identification of Billy Lee Junior, aged 24, from Stondon Massey, Essex. Further investigation linked three others: Levi Lee, 22, also from Stondon Massey, Samuel Sheady-Jones, 23, from Cefn Mawr, Wrexham, and Ashley Byford, 26, from Thames Avenue, Chelmsford.
Over the course of the investigation, the team linked the group to 31 offences. In September 2022, officers executed warrants at multiple properties, leading to the arrest of both Billy Lee Junior and Levi Lee. Officers found a bag containing £40,000 in cash at Billy Lee's property, along with additional cash and tools associated with the thefts.
The group was set to stand trial in September but instead entered guilty pleas, admitting to conspiracy to steal.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on 25 October, Billy Lee Junior was sentenced to four years and eight months, Levi Lee received four years and five months, Samuel Sheady-Jones was sentenced to three years and seven months, and Ashley Byford received 16 months in prison for his involvement.
Emma Sandison, Openreach Security Director, commented, “Cable thefts are hugely disruptive. The loss of phone and broadband is not only inconvenient but can put vulnerable people at risk. We take the security of our network seriously and have a wide range of crime prevention tools to prevent thefts and catch those responsible.”
Detective Inspector Low concluded, “The evidence and information which Openreach was able to supply played a large part in helping us build our case against the group and I’d like to thank them for working so hard alongside us. Ultimately, this work has resulted in a group of people being brought to justice.”