Cardiff teens jailed for 22-day car and bike theft spree

Three Cardiff teenagers have been locked up following a 22-day burglary spree that saw them steal eight cars and six bikes across South Wales.

Jacob Lawday, 19, and Evan Andrews, 18, kicked off their crime wave last August when they broke into a property in Llanmaes and swiped three sets of keys. They drove off in a Kia X-Ceed and Mercedes E 220 that had been parked outside.

The owners tracked down both vehicles in Penarth using GPS devices. While officers were recovering the stolen cars, they spotted a Range Rover being driven suspiciously by a young man. Checks revealed the vehicle was running on cloned number plates – and had been nicked from a Cardiff address three days earlier.

Lawday and Andrews bolted when police tried to stop them but were caught after a brief foot chase.

Despite being arrested and released on bail, the pair wasn’t done. Over two days in September, they hit four more addresses. This time they targeted a home in Ogmore By Sea, stealing a BMW and a Peugeot. The BMW’s tracker led police straight to Cardiff.

CCTV footage showed the same BMW alongside a Ford Transit van. Officers tracked down the Transit in Penarth, with Andrews behind the wheel and Mackenzie Daly, 19, and Lawday as passengers.

A search of the van uncovered four stolen bikes and a BMW car key. All three were arrested on the spot.

Detectives built a case using evidence gathered from multiple burglaries and thefts. The trio were convicted of numerous burglary and theft offences.

Andrews and Daly were each sentenced to 32 months in a young offender institution this week. Lawday received a two-year prison sentence.