Five men have been sentenced for their part in a 'sophisticated conspiracy' stealing and selling-on high-value vehicles.

A total of 18 cars with an estimated value of £500,000 are believed to have passed through a site in the Forest of Dean within a one-month period, before being dismantled.

Police believe the five men were part of an organised crime gang (OCG) whose figureheads were in London.

All were convicted at Bristol Crown Court following what was described as "a prolonged and complex investigation" by Gloucestershire Constabulary's Crime Investigation Department.

Officers trawled through a month's worth of CCTV footage from the Everything Land Rover (ELR) site on the New Dunn business park, Sling, near Coleford.

This site belonged to 28-year-old Edward Barrington, previously known as Edward Fear, of Wellington Terrace, Newnham, who police believed to be central to the "conspiracy".

Barrington pleaded guilty (on Friday, January 11) to conspiracy to handle stolen goods at his business premises on the New Dunn Business Park. He was jailed for four years for the offence to serve a minimum of two years with the remainder on license.

The vehicles were not just being dismantled at Barrington's Sling site, but also at a premise in Parkend which he was in the process of purchasing.

It was revealed that the investigation began when the tracker in a stolen motorhome led police to the ELR site.

All of the men were captured on CCTV at the site where clips showed some of them burning registration plates and emptying and dismantling vehicles.

Kelvin Harding, 28, of Euston Road, Croydon and Luke Heron, 25, of Kingston Road, Epsom, were both found guilty following a trial of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

The offences relate to the cloning of vehicle numbers plates and assisting in the delivery of stolen vehicles from London to the Forest of Dean.

Both were jailed for four years for the offence to serve a minimum of two years with the remainder on license.

As part of the investigation, officers seized two devices from Heron and Harding.

A device which is used to physically unlock a vehicle when the keys are not present was found at Harding's home address.

And a tool plugs into the on-board diagnostics system of a car and allows a vehicle to be started with no key was found at Heron's business premises.

Officers also found a number plate making machine at Luke Heron's home address. He described himself as a laminator.

Stephen Goode, 45, Gloucester Road, Coleford, admitted at Bristol Crown Court on March 15, 2018, to conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

He was involved in the breaking down of stolen Land Rovers following their delivery to the ELR site.

At Bristol Crown Court on Friday (January 11) he received a six month sentence, suspended for two years.

Edward Barrington's father, Michael Fear, 58, Parc Road, Gwent, pleaded guilty to two separate counts of handling stolen goods on October 23, 2018.

This was in relation to two stolen vehicles which were located at his home address. He was also required to forfeit £19,000 as a result of his guilty plea.

He was sentenced to 26 months for the first count and 12 months concurrent for the second count.

Barrington, Fear and Goode entered guilty pleas whilst Harding and Heron were found guilty following a trial at Bristol Crown Court which ended on November 19 last year.

Daniel Hayler, 28 and of Violet Gardens in Croydon and Gavin Wroe, 49 and of Lords Gate in Coleford were both found not guilty of conspiracy to handle stolen goods following a three-week trial.

Karen Wildin, senior investigating officer at the Crime Investigation Department, said: "I am happy with the sentencing although to some it might seem that the actual sentencing they have got isn't a lot for the amount of cars that have been through both the sites.

"However this is part of a much larger enterprise that was running out of the London area and we've managed to convict and put inside two members from the enterprise in London.

"They were the two that were responsible for bringing the stolen vehicles to the Forest of Dean.

"Without them Edward Barrington wouldn't have been able to do what he was doing in both the Sling and Parkend site and a member of his staff wouldn't have been convicted through being part of that enterprise by dismantling the vehicles.

"We've also got to take into consideration that other family members were involved as Michael Fear who is Edward Barrington's father was arrested in possession of two stolen vehicles, one of those being a Land Rover Discovery which had come from the London area so I am happy with today's (January 11) result."