Three men have been jailed following a Surrey Police investigation into a series of car thefts across Surrey, Hampshire and Essex, during which the group taped over video doorbells in an attempt to conceal their crimes.

In the early hours of May the 3rd, the occupants of an address in Essex were alerted by their doorbell camera to movement on their driveway. When they checked the live feed, they could see the lens had been covered, blurring the picture.

What the thieves had not realised was that another camera, positioned higher up on the property, was still recording.

The footage captured two men creeping around the victim’s Mercedes GR13, using a device to intercept the car’s signal. Their attempt to steal the vehicle was unsuccessful, and the pair left the address empty-handed.

Just minutes later, less than a mile away, police say an Audi Q7 was stolen from another victim’s driveway. The victim woke to find their car gone, with tape placed over their doorbell camera in the same way.

By the following evening, the pattern had moved to Hampshire. Two more victims woke to find their vehicles had been stolen from outside their homes. A Mercedes E 220 AMG and a BMW 330i had both been taken, and footage from one address showed three men approaching the property before the camera was covered.

Shortly after 3am on May the 5th, officers were called to an address in Esher after a doorbell camera had been taped over by a group of men. At that point, the attending officer did not know the incident was linked to a wider series of offences.

While officers were responding at the address, a passer-by reported seeing three men wearing dark clothing interfering with a vehicle nearby. The officer carried out enquiries in the area and located an abandoned Toyota Rav4 a short distance away, with the engine still running.

Checks quickly identified the owner, who lived nearby. Officers attended the victim’s home and woke them to tell them their vehicle had been stolen but had been recovered.

CCTV from this address showed men dressed in dark clothing and wearing baseball caps using a device to unlock the vehicle before driving away.

A police dog unit was called in to search the area, leading officers into a muddy field where a mobile phone and glove were found.

A short time later, officers from the Firearms Unit stopped a man at a bus stop on Portsmouth Road. His feet and lower legs were wet and caked in mud, consistent with someone having recently run through a field. Subsequently, he was arrested.

As officers continued to piece together the wider picture, they were made aware of a further report in Cobham, where a Lexus RX had been stolen from a driveway in the early hours of the morning.

The vehicle had been tracked to an address in Oxshott, but when officers arrived, the car was no longer there. Items belonging to the victim were found discarded in the road.

Further enquiries led officers to identify two more suspects connected to the series of offences. They were later arrested.

In total, the vehicles stolen or targeted as part of the investigation were estimated to be worth between £350,000 and £450,000.

Appearing at Guildford Crown Court, the trio, who are all Lithuanian nationals, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of motor vehicles.

20 year old Jonas Veselis, 27 year old Klaudijus Grigaitas and 25 year old Adomas Visagurskaj have each been sentenced to three-and-a-half years’ in jail.

Investigating officer, PC Daniel Edwards said: “This was a deliberate and organised series of offences which saw victims targeted at their home addresses across several counties.

“The group went to some lengths to avoid being caught, including covering doorbell cameras, but the evidence they tried to hide became part of the picture that helped bring them before the courts.

“Vehicle theft can have a significant impact on victims, not only financially but in the disruption and distress it causes. I would encourage residents to remain vigilant and consider using a combination of security measures, such as keeping keys away from doors and windows, using signal-blocking pouches for keyless vehicles, parking in well-lit areas where possible, and installing additional physical security such as steering locks or tracking devices.

“These offences show that even determined offenders can be disrupted by alert members of the public, good CCTV practices and fast-time police enquiries. I hope this case demonstrates that we will relentlessly pursue offenders who target our communities.”