After an eight week trial, five known criminals with a history of previous offences were convicted of handling stolen goods and money laundering. Paul Granger, Patrick Jenkins, Charlie Granger, Raymond Dyer and Jack Granger were all found guilty after a case that was initiated by Datatag’s Police Liaison and Training Officer Nick Mayell, back in December 2015.
The intelligence-led operation started with the discovery of duplicate JCB telehandlers – one in Liverpool and the other in Belfast. The work which was carried out to clone the machine was impressive and created confusion as to who had the genuine machine. Datatag’s plant machinery expert, Nick Mayell, was called upon to go to Liverpool and examine the first machine. Nick is a world leading expert in heavy plant identification and was able to quickly identify the telehandler in Liverpool as the stolen one.
Following this discovery and as part of Datatag’s proactive intelligence-led approach, Nick was able to locate a further four machines; another JCB telehandler, a three-ton Terex dumper, an eight-ton Volvo excavator and a Bomag roller. Using his extensive knowledge of criminal practices he was able to identify all of the machines as stolen. Notably, none of the machines stolen were CESAR marked and it was clear that the gang had gone to lengths to avoid the award-winning, and indelible, CESAR Scheme identification markings.
Datatag technologies security and its knowledgeable experts have proven yet again that they are more effective in identifying assets than the thieves. Nick’s work in assisting the police in linking the crimes to notorious thief Paul Granger, along with the additional intelligence Nick Mayell was able to gather, was passed on to PC Kelleher of Merseyside Police, who was able to follow up the evidence, take action which ultimately led to all five of the gang’s arrests and subsequent convictions.
Sentencing took place on 5th July at Isleworth crown court and the results of the trial were as follows; Paul Granger and Patrick Jenkins – sentenced to five-years and six months for conspiracy and money laundering; Charley Granger – 150 hours unpaid community service; Ray Dyer – eight-months sentence suspended for 12 months.
This was a fantastic outcome for the Police, the industry and Datatag after all the time and effort the team including Nick Mayell dedicated to this particular case.
