coventry health care :: Article CreatorCoventry Gang Stole Nearly £450k By Targeting Care Homes, Hospices And GPs
A Coventry duo who pocketed nearly £450,000 in 'callously engineered' scams after stealing bank cards from GP surgeries, care homes and hospices have been jailed. Darren Wykes and George Quinn carried out 46 'sneak-in' burglaries over a two-year period.
Wykes, 46, and Quinn, 57, also targeted hotels and schools, stealing purses and wallets from staff rooms, Lincolnshire Police said. After stealing the valuables, the pair, along with David Ovington, 59, and Daniel Sutherland, 40, would call the victims to try and trick them into revealing their PIN.
As soon as the PIN was handed over, another member of the gang would buy high-value items or foreign currencies using stolen driving licences as ID. Between 2023 and 2024, the gang stole £447,000 from 48 victims, which they used to fund a lavish lifestyle, Lincolnshire Police said.
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Wykes, Quinn, Sutherland and Ovington admitted 46 charges of conspiracy to commit burglary and fraud at Lincoln Crown Court. Wykes, of Kempley Avenue, was imprisoned for five years and five months, while Quinn, of Ansty Road, was sentenced to five years in jail.
Ovington, of Skipton Gardens, and Sutherland, of Sedgemoor Road, were both sentenced to 21 months, suspended for two years. Tactics used by the 'highly organised' gang would see Wykes enter a workplace and rifle through bags or jackets.
Darren Wykes (Image: Lincolnshire Police)
He would steal purses or wallets and then call Quinn on a 'burner' phone to pass on details of the stolen cards, Lincolnshire Police said. Quinn would then call the reception from where the wallet was taken, claiming to be from the bank or a police officer, and ask to speak urgently to the person named on the card.
Quinn would provide fake details on how their purse or wallet had been found, making up 'spurious' stories of having been notified of someone trying to use their cards in various stores, Lincolnshire Police said. He would also attempt to persuade the victim to tell him their PIN.
George Quinn (Image: Lincolnshire Police)
While Quinn was making the call, Wykes would be on standby inside a shop using a 'burner' phone, Lincolnshire Police said. As soon as Quinn provided the PIN, he would buy either expensive electrical items or use the card to obtain high-value amounts of foreign currency from exchange outlets and was captured on CCTV in Skegness obtaining around £4,000.
Wykes captured on CCTV in Skegness (Image: Lincolnshire Police)
Detectives released a phone call from Quinn to a victim who was tricked into telling them her PIN. Wykes was often captured on CCTV wearing a baseball cap and Covid mask, making it difficult to cross-check his identity, Lincolnshire Police said.
During their two-year crime spree, the gang used 20 mobile phones, six of which were 'burner' phones, which they often dumped to avoid being detected. Wykes saw £447,000 go through his bank account, £127,000 of which was cash paid in at Post Offices in Coventry.
Detective Sergeant Petty said: "Wykes, Quinn, Sutherland and Ovington targeted hard-working people doing their utmost for their local communities, using every trick in the book to deceive and manipulate their victims and would callously engineer a spurious scenario to create a situation of panic, taking advantage of the victims while at their most vulnerable, to fraudulently obtain their PIN. But through sheer hard work and dedication and meticulous data analysis, we have been able to bring these offenders to justice."
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