Advertisement

Police sell Rolex watches and jewellery seized from gang on eBay for £24,000

Assets seized from a crime gang responsible for more than 120 thefts in Northamptonshire (Picture: SWNS)
Assets seized from a crime gang responsible for more than 120 thefts in Northamptonshire (SWNS)

Police have sold Rolex watches and jewellery seized from a jailed crime gang on eBay for £24,000.

The items were put up for auction using new powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act to raise funds from stolen items.

The possessions included a diamond ring which netted £13,433 and two Rolex watches which went for £7,800 and £2,287.

Officers also recovered more than £9,000 in cash from the gang which included James Devlin, 51, his sons Jimmy, 20, Noel, 29, and 25-year-old Hughie Devlin.

The Home Office will split the total with Northamptonshire Police after the force sold seized assets on its new eBay site.

Read more: ‘Rubbish’ burglar who called police after getting stuck in window is jailed

The possessions included a diamond ring which netted £13,433 (SWNS)
The possessions included a diamond ring which netted £13,433 (SWNS)

Read more: Dozen police officers arrest gym owner for staying open in lockdown

The items were recovered after an investigation into criminals responsible for more than 120 thefts, mainly of tools from motor vehicles in Northamptonshire.

This led to a raid on the Dunroamin caravan park, near Brackley, Northamptonshire, in February 2018 where four men and a youth were arrested.

The gang had amassed about £86,000 of stolen property, mainly targeting trade vans as well as goods from shops and petrol stations, Northampton Crown Court heard.

The Devlin gang all received jail terms of between 12 and 18 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal property, mainly tools from motor vehicles.

A youth, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a youth rehabilitation order with two years supervision, six months on a tagged night-time curfew and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Read more: Video shows woman ranting at police officers forcing her to wear a mask

DS Giles Campling, from the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU), said: “This gang was behind more than 120 thefts across the county and were successfully convicted in 2019.

"Using a new strand of legislation under the Proceeds of Crime Act we have been able to sell seized assets, in this case jewellery, which were found during our investigation.

“The vast majority of crime we see is carried out through greed to make money and to lead an easy lifestyle.

"The POCA legislation is a powerful tool which can claw back money from criminals, even those serving jail terms. It sends a message to others that a life of crime does not pay.”

Previously the force sold assets via another force’s site paying them a small commission.

Since 2013, Northamptonshire Police has recovered £6.2m in cash and property from convicted criminals.