Gipsy gang jailed for Britain's biggest robbery

Five members of a gang behind a string of raids on stately homes, including Britain's biggest domestic burglary, have each been jailed for up to 11 years.



Members of the Johnson gang: Richard 'Chad' Johnson, Daniel O'Loughlin, Michael Nicholls, Albi Johnson and Ricky Johnson
The gang of arts, and antiques thieves, who are members of a gipsy family, were responsible for taking property estimated to be worth more than £80 million. A court heard that the gang raided stately homes in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Worcestershire where they knew there would be "rich pickings" during a year-long spree.

The men staked out the properties, sometimes for weeks, pinpointing the best means of entry and escape. They broke in wearing balaclavas, scoured rooms, and escaped in stolen cars within minutes while leaving little or no trace. Their attacks included Ramsbury Manor, the 17th century Wiltshire home of Harry Hyams, a reclusive property tycoon and art collector. Burglars seized items worth about £30 million in February 2006, in Britain's biggest private house burglary.

Other victims included the Formula One motor racing advertising tycoon Paddy McNally and the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire Sir Philip Wroughton. The men behind the raids were part of the Johnson family, an organised criminal gang who detectives believe have plagued the South of England for 20 years. Richard "Chad" Johnson, 33, and Daniel O'Loughlin, 32, were both jailed for 11 years, Michael Nicholls, 29, was given 10 years, Albi Johnson, 25, was jailed for nine years and Ricky Johnson, 54, was given eight years.

They were each found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary between April 8, 2005 and October 13, 2006 following a month-long trial at Reading Crown Court. The family were based at a static caravan park in Evesham, Worcestershire, where they plotted the raids. Paul Reid, prosecuting, said they were an "extensive and highly organised gang" who were "ruthless in their intention to acquire high-value property" from country houses. Describing the raid on Mr Hyams's home, Mr Reid said: "This has been described as the most valuable domestic burglary ever committed in this country. The collection is described as priceless.

"There is a difficulty in putting a value on antiques and antiquities - some of them very precious and very rare - but it is tens of millions of pounds." Two months after the Ramsbury raid, detectives found an "Aladdin's cave" of items in an underground bunker at a field owned by an associate of the Johnsons near Stratford-upon-Avon. Inside were a number of black bins containing straw and numerous pieces of porcelain stolen from the Hyams estate, about a third of the total haul. Some of the antiques had been damaged.

Among other targets were Warneford Place, the former home of the James Bond author Ian Fleming, set in 1,000 acres in Sevenhampton, near Swindon and owned by Mr McNally, who once dated the Duchess of York. Sir Philip Wroughton and his wife had items worth £100,000 stolen when the gang burgled their country home in Chaddleworth, Berks, twice in 12 months. Lord and Lady Sandys lost a £1,000 carriage clock when their home, Ombersley Court in Droitwich, Worcs, was raided.

No comment.

Contrary to what the tree huggers would have you believe, overwhelming evidence shows that when the gypos turn up so does the thievery.

Which reminds me - what can open any lock? A pi-key

If all of you take the time to read up on gypsys you would know that using the term gypo or pikey is a raciest comment as they are a ethnic minority group and I will be getting all these comments investigated as you would not leave these comments about other ethnic people

If all of you take the time to read up on gypsys you would know that using the term gypo or pikey is a raciest comment as they are a ethnic minority group and I will be getting all these comments investigated as you would not leave these comments about other ethnic people

If all of you take the time to read up on gypsys you would know that using the term gypo or pikey is a raciest comment as they are a ethnic minority group and I will be getting all these comments investigated as you would not leave these comments about other ethnic people

Right or wrong, is there any fooking need to ram it down people's throats and use contentious topic titles like this one? How many gypsy threads do we need? What point are you trying to prove? That gypsy thieves are worse than non-gypsy thieves? That gypsy bastards are worse than non-gypsy bastards?