Southsea men who carried out crime spree in Surrey have been jailed

TWO men who travelled from Southsea to Surrey to carry out a spree of crimes have been jailed.
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Marc Masterton, 22, of Montgomerie Road, and Scott Gaffney, 20, of Milton Road, admitted their roles in a series of offences carried out in the Borough of Waverley earlier this year.

A third man Denzel Fewings, 19, of The Grove, Portland, Dorset, also pleaded guilty for his role in the spree.

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Surrey Police officers were first alerted to the activities of these three men after they received numerous reports from residents in Cranleigh, whose cars had been targeted by the trio over the course of a single night.

Marc Masterton, left, and Scott Gaffney have been jailed following a spree of car crimes in Surrey. Picture: Surrey policeMarc Masterton, left, and Scott Gaffney have been jailed following a spree of car crimes in Surrey. Picture: Surrey police
Marc Masterton, left, and Scott Gaffney have been jailed following a spree of car crimes in Surrey. Picture: Surrey police

The three men continued targeting cars in other areas of Waverley, travelling into Surrey from their home addresses in Portsmouth and Dorset to steal valuables which had been left in the vehicles overnight.

Masterton, Gaffney and Fewings were identified as the suspects by police and arrested. They appeared before the courts in May, where they were charged with 88 offences between them.

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Due to the severity of the cumulative effect of crimes committed, the matter was referred to Crown Court.

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Masterton and Gaffney pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles and conspiracy to commit fraud and were sentenced to 37 months’ and 30 months’ imprisonment respectively at Guildford Crown Court on Wednesday.

Fewings pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles and conspiracy to commit fraud and was sentenced to 10 months in a Young Offenders Institute.

Waverley Borough Commander, Inspector Gary Smith said: ‘The sentences imposed on the offenders today demonstrates the seriousness that the police and courts place on the behaviour of people who wreak havoc in local communities and cause considerable inconvenience to those who were targeted.

‘The teams involved in bringing these three men to justice have worked hard to identify them and to follow positive leads in order to place them before the court.

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‘It also demonstrates the importance of the public reporting matters to the police – in some cases, insecure vehicles were entered and nothing was taken and some residents were unsure whether to report this or not.

‘However, reporting any unusual, suspicious behaviour or activity assists us in building up an extensive picture of illegal activity and ensures that officers have all the information available when investigating offences.’

If you are the victim of crime or have information to pass to the police about criminal or suspicious activity, please contact us on 101 (999 in an emergency), or via the Surrey Police website at www.Surrey.Police.uk

Alternatively, if you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.