ONE of Hampshire’s biggest burglary gangs has been busted after a pair of thieves were found guilty stealing £500,000-worth of high-value cars.

Today Southampton teenager Ellis McMillan and her co-accused Dale Ward, from London, face jail after a jury found them both guilty of conspiracy to steal and McMillan was convicted of conspiracy to burglary.

They had both denied the charges but a jury believed them to be part of a gang which had amassed an “Aladdin’s Cave” of stolen goods, including jewellery, watches and car keys.

After a ten-day trial at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Gary Burrell told the pair said they would be facing “an immediate custodial sentence that will be of significance”.

Daily Echo:

Targeting 72 homes across Hampshire, police eventually caught up with them while hunting for a third man, Theo Smithard-Powell, McMillan’s 21-year old boyfriend.

Daily Echo: Theo Smithard-Powell

He crept into people’s homes while they were sleeping upstairs, completely unaware of the stranger prowling through their treasured belongings.

Victims were left feeling violated and frightened to be in their own homes.

His method was always the same – target homes with high-value cars parked outside and with UPVC front doors, banking on the theory that those residents habitually failed to double lock them.

Within just five months, he had burgled scores of homes by going in through the letter box and using tools purchased with McMillan to “pop” them open.

And it proved a huge success, with several homes targeted in the same night – up to seven on one occasion.

Daily Echo:

McMillan, 18, played an administrative role, sorting out accommodation in Southampton and by booking taxis with a succession of aliases to get her boyfriend to and from the homes he had targeted.

Once inside he would quickly find the keys to the expensive car parked out front, along with other items such as phones, laptops, handbags, jewellery and watches.

During that period they stole more than 20 high performance cars.

Initially the stolen cars would be parked in Southampton streets to check if the vehicles were fitted with tracking devices.

Then registration plates would be cloned from vehicles similar in size and age found on AutoTrader and fitted.

Daily Echo: Dale Ward.

They were then driven to Lonsdale Close, Mottingham, in South East London, where Ward, 22, lived and was responsible for their onward distribution.

But police soon had a dedicated team determined to bring down their operation.

Officers were already aware that Smithard-Powell was a prolific burglar in the Hampshire area.

They soon discovered McMillan and Smithard-Powell were using false names to book him into hotels with her.

Ward was arrested in April last year, when officers raided his address and found one of the stolen vehicles nearby.

But that didn't stop the burglaries and arrogant Smithard-Powell continued to invade people's homes.

Smithard-Powell and McMillan were arrested on July 22 when officers raided their home in Cambridge Court, Southampton.

Police searched the address as well as the home of McMillan’s mother in Alcantara Crescent where they found a £10,000 silver Breitling watch and several “burgling bags” containing screwdrivers, chisels and various stolen items.

Smithard-Powell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and steal and handling stolen goods.

During the trial McMillan failed to convince the jury that she knew nothing of her boyfriend’s criminal activities and believed him to be a car dealer along with Ward.

They found her guilty of conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burglary but cleared her of handling stolen goods.

All three will now sentenced on Friday July 31.

Detective Constable Donna Kay, of Southampton Central Police Station led the investigation.

She said: “The dedication and tenacity of the investigating team has been the driving force in achieving this result and I would like to thank them for their efforts.

“This highlights the importance that Hampshire Constabulary places on burglaries and their victims and the lengths we will go to in order to investigate and prosecute offenders.

“We welcome this verdict and hope this sends a message to offenders committing similar crimes that their activities will not be tolerated and we will deal with them.”