Birmingham men jailed after stealing shotguns from a string of burglaries

THREE men were jailed on Monday (22) for committing more than 30 burglaries and supplying shotguns to Birmingham gangs.

Kadim Shah, John Shorthouse and Roshan Singh repeatedly travelled to rural areas in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and South Birmingham, breaking into homes and stealing high value items such as cars, watches and in some cases, shotguns.

They were each jailed for more than 15 years.

The men stole property totalling an estimated £700,000, and the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit became involved in the investigation after noticing a "surge in burglaries".

All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, two counts of robbery and possession of firearms. Shorthouse also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and both him and Shah pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified.

Roshan Singh, of South Acre Avenue, Highgate, was jailed for 16 years.

John Shorthouse of Greenford Road, Yardley, was jailed for 16 years eight months.

Kadim Shah, age 21 of Lewis Road, Stirchley, was jailed for 15 years two months.

Chief Inspector Ronan Tyrer, from the Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “We have successfully put three very dangerous men behind bars and in doing so, we are helping to reduce the supply of weapons being transported from other areas of the country into Birmingham.

“We want to reassure the public we are doing all we can to tackle this kind of crime. The offences were unsophisticated and frightening, where these men turned up wearing balaclavas and smashed their way into properties in broad daylight. We’re currently in the process of reuniting recovered items with their owners.

“Our work on this case was intelligence-led, and we would like to thank members of the public for their continued support and for the information they provided, which assisted us with these convictions."