Father and son jailed after teaming up for vehicle theft crime spree across Sunderland and the North East

Ashley Lawson, 50, and his son Jamie, 28, firstly stole a Land Rover Evoque after taking keys from an address in Seaham in the early hours of Friday, May 15 last year (2022).

On the same night, the pair then journeyed to the Sunniside Road area of Gateshead to steal a BMW and a Mercedes Vito van from the same address, again after stealing keys from inside the property.

Jamie then also stole a Volvo from the Sunderland area.

Not content with the quadruple theft, the father and son teamed up once again a week later (Friday, May 22) to steal another two vehicles, a VW T-Roc and a VW Touran, this time from an address in Blaydon.

Ashley Lawson of Moorland House, Newcastle, was subsequently charged with six counts of burglary, while Jamie Lawson, of Ponteland Road, also in Newcastle, was charged with four counts of burglary and five counts of theft.

Following a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday (March 6), Jamie Lawson was jailed for a total of four years while his dad, Ashley, was put behind bars for 64 months.

Detective Constable Phil Hoggins, of Northumbria Police’s High Impact Team, said: “This is a fantastic result which was made possible thanks to the quick and efficient work of our officers, who were able to quickly identify Ashley and Jamie Lawson as being the men who carried out these offences and bring them to justice.

“Burglary is an invasive crime and we want to send a message to people in our communities that we will deliver robust action and effective justice against any offenders.

“We will continue to work closely with the public, businesses as well as our partners to ensure any burglars and thieves are identified, arrested and put before the courts.

“As ever, we’d remind the public to take an extra second to ensure your doors, windows and locks are secure and that you keep any valuable items out of view.”

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Anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area is urged to report it to Northumbria Police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or by calling 101.