AN ORGANISED gang of serial thieves who targeted cars parked across Hampshire while their owners were playing amateur football have been jailed for a total of 14 years.

The trio plundered cars stealing tems including phones, wallets, cash and even football season tickets.

They broke into 72 cars across the region including vehicles parked at Southampton University Sports Ground in Eastleigh, Goals in Millbrook, and Testwood Lane College in Totton.

Between them Delwyn Grant, David Mitchell and Jose Rodriguez have 75 convictions and were only caught after a police operation that spanned eight forces including Hampshire, Kent, Oxford and the Midlands.

Southampton Crown Court heard that the three ransacked cars while the owners were involved in a game of football.

In one incident Grant, Mitchell and Rodriguez smashed windows on seven vehicles at Southampton University Sports Ground and made off with phones, football season tickets, wallets and cash.

They were arrested on the A3 near the Rusty Cutter roundabout and it was found that the satellite navigation system in their car was displaying a location near another five-a-side football centre in Portsmouth.

The men were tracked down as part of Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Dalmatian, a complicated investigation involving reports of thefts across three counties.

Speaking after the sentencing, investigating officer PC David King said: “This prosecution sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this kind of crime, including organised gangs such as this that target vehicles.

“Operation Dalmatian has been a complicated investigation across a number of police force areas, and I would like to thank all those officers that have helped to make this prosecution possible.”

The satellite navigation system also contained a number of addresses, some of which matched locations of car break-ins.

Their mobile phones were seized and police discovered that Grant’s phone’s Internet browsing history featured searches that corresponded with the sites in their investigation including sports parks in Fareham, Portsmouth and Swindon.

Grant and Mitchell pleaded guilty to theft and conspiracy to steal, and Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.

Grant, of Clock House Road, Beckenham, Kent, was jailed for five-and-a-half years, while Mitchell, of Burns Road, London, was given a four-year sentence and Rodriguez, of Lady Margaret Road, Southall, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.