Gang travelled 7,500 miles on tourist visas to raid homes in UK’s ‘Golden Triangle’ before leading cops on 115mph chase
A GANG travelled 7,500 miles using tourist visas before raiding homes in the UK’s ‘Golden Triangle’ and leading police on a 115mph chase.
Hector Paredes-Munoz, 39, his brother Victor, 31 and 27-year old Sergio Castro travelled from South America with the “sole aim” of looting luxury mansions in the wealthy area of Cheshire.
The trio, all from Chile, arrived in the hope of making ‘easy money’ by using balaclavas and arming themselves with tools to carry out the ‘sickening’ raids in March and April earlier this year.
But they were arrested following a 30-mile pursuit along the M40 near Oxford after they were identified on CCTV near one of the properties.
The chase culminated in the gang fleeing their black Peugeot, jumping over a central reservation and running into oncoming traffic as part of a desperate attempt to evade police.
But the gang members were eventually arrested and were jailed for three years after admitting conspiracy to burgle at Chester Crown Court on Friday. They will be deported back to Chile upon their release.
Victor Paredes-Munoz was given an extra 12-month prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
The gang arrived in the UK at the end of last year after travelling from elsewhere in Europe, before setting up base in the south of England.
The first raid took place on March 31, when a neighbour rang 999 after spotting two men wearing balaclavas while an alarm was going off.
Officers rushed to the scene and the homeowner returned to their property to find the rear patio door had been broken and £60 stolen from a bag in the kitchen.
The victim, who had only moved into the house a day earlier, was eight months pregnant at the time.
The second incident took place on April 1, when an 18-year-old woman rang police after hearing male voices downstairs.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Leeming said: “There was significant planning and a car was rented and used to facilitate the commission of these offences. Balaclavas were worn and tools were acquired to gain entry.
“The speed in that pursuit reached an eye-watering 115mph. I accept English is not your first language and a custodial sentence is likely to be far harder for you than might otherwise be the case.”