THREE men have been jailed for their parts in a car-ringing operation involving several high-value vehicles.

The scam also involved industrial vehicles, including a JCB-type digger, and lowvalue cars merely sold for scrap.

At least ten stolen vehicles were sold either under false identification, or just for scrap value, by the trio from Coundon and Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland.

Among the cars were two Audis, even at second values worth about £30,000, taken in London and Reading, in Berkshire.

Durham Crown Court heard they were quickly given new identification plates and numbers, before being offered for sale via car trading magazines.

Innocent buyers subsequently lost out to the tune of several thousands of pounds when the scam was revealed.

Michael Anthony Broomfield, 22, of Hambledon Road, John McClacklan, 27, of Gurlish West, both Coundon, and 23-year-old Damian Casson Hanson, of Addison Road, Leeholme, were all yesterday given 18-month prison sentences after previously admitting conspiracy to steal vehicles.

An extra month was added to the sentences of Broomfield, for four offences of driving while disqualified, which he also admitted, and for Mc- Clacklan, for breaching a previous suspended prison sentence.

Defence barristers said the men were “lesser players” in the operation, McClacklan and Broomfield through their involvement in “scrapping” vehicles.

But the court was told others were higher up the chain, including a “Charlie Boy”, who was named to police during the investigation.

Jailing them, Recorder David Gordon, said: “Some high-value cars were stolen, mostly in other parts of the country, which were cloned or ringed.

“They soon came to be in your possession, being sold on to entirely innocent members of the public, causing them significant loss.

“You all played a greater or lesser part in that, although clearly others involved have not been apprehended.

“But, an enterprise like this needs its willing workers.”

A fourth defendant, 53-yearold John Robert Hallimond, also of Addison Road, was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, during which he will be subject to probation supervision.

He was said to have allowed his home address to be used for the sale of a vehicle.