Thieves Sam Holmes and David Leadbeater pose together in a stolen car in a picture taken on a mobile phone

by Julia Roberts

Car thieves who posed for photographs inside stolen high-value and high-performance vehicles have each been jailed for six years today.

David Leadbeater, 23, and 22-year-old Sam Holmes were said by police to have left an "incredible" trail of evidence during their two-month crime spree, which netted almost £500,000 of vehicles from homes across Kent.

Maidstone Crown Court heard 35 cars were stolen from outside owners' homes during a series of night-time burglaries.

"the feeling of being in control and feeling important behind the wheel..." – how sam holmes justified his crime spree

Front doors were forced so keys could be obtained and some owners were misfortunate enough to have two vehicles taken. Another awoke to find one of the gang in her bedroom.

She later stood in front of her car in a desperate attempt to stop it being reversed off her driveway. But the court heard she had to step out of the way as it was driven off.

Cars were stolen from Swanley, Longfield, Gravesend, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Maidstone, Faversham, Herne Bay, Whitstable and Deal. The pair also targeted homes in London, Surrey and Hampshire.

Many were recovered and returned to their owners, although vehicles worth £172,465 have yet to be found.

Leadbetter and Holmes were said to have been "employed" by others to drive the vehicles. They were also involved in fitting the cars with false number plates or tampering with the appearance of the genuine plates with the use of adhesive tape.

Some of the cars - which included Audis, Mercedes, several 4x4s, a VW Golf R32 and a Ford Focus RS - were sold on within minutes for as little as £500 to £1,000.

Car thief David Leadbeater poses in a high-value stolen vehicle

Holmes, from Mottingham in south east London, later described in a letter to the judge that his involvement had little to do with money, but more his "fascination" with high-performance cars.

"The feeling of being in control and feeling important behind the wheel," he wrote.

Leadbeater, from Eltham in south east London, and Holmes admitted conspiracy to commit burglary between May 1 and July 5 last year.

They originally denied the offence and their trial, which was expected to last up to six weeks, had got under way last week.

But after the prosecution spent a day opening their case, described by Judge Philip St John-Stevens as an "intricately woven tapestry of inferences", both defendants changed their pleas to guilty.

Passing sentence today, the judge said each had played an "integral" role that was "fundamental" for the criminal enterprise to work.

"Others entered the premises but these defendants were fully aware that burglaries were occurring at night," he added.

"They weren't the operating minds. They were paid for their work. But they were party to this agreement, knowing exactly what was happening."

Jailed car thieves Sam Holmes and David Leadbeater

Judge St John-Stevens said both Leadbeater and Holmes were to be given credit for their guilty pleas.

But he said the human effect of such burglaries should not be forgotten.

"It is not the value of the property, it is not the fact property is recovered. It is the fact that people's homes are invaded and where they should feel safe they feel they have been abused."

At the time of the crime spree, Holmes was on licence from a young offenders' institutionfor a 12-month sentence imposed for going equipped for theft.

The evidence against the pair included mobile phone data, automatic number plate recognition and satnav information, as well as fingerprints and DNA.

They also denied charges of conspiracy to steal vehicles and dangerous driving. These were accepted by the court and ordered to be left on file.

DC Adrian Grew, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, described them as "incompetent" and without morals.

He said: "Both Holmes and Leadbeater have shown no remorse for their crimes despite overwhelming evidence being found by police during the investigation.

"They may have seen themselves as successful criminals but they left an incredible trail of evidence and slipped up in every way possible."

Among the burglaries and attempted burglaries in Kent were:

Turner Road in Tonbridge

Parrock Road, Winters Croft and Gatwick Road in Gravesend

Hazlitt Drive and Odiham Drive in Maidstone

Salisbury Avenue in Swanley

Bessels Way, Larkfield Road and Sandilands in Sevenoaks

Millfield Manor, Spring Walk and Lambs Walk in Whitstable

St Richards Road and Richards Road in Deal

Carlton Hill, Winkle Close, Windsor Gardens, Oyster Close and Bentley Avenue in Herne Bay

Lower Road in Faversham

Herbert Road, Lousiville Avenue, Tanners Road, Longfellow Road and Milton Road in Gillingham

Kings Road in Chatham

Pincroft Wood in Longfield

Stake Lane in Rochester