Chop shop

The four men targeted high-value Land Rover defenders over an eight-month period, taking 34 vehicles from Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Powys.

Vehicles were then taken to a workshop in Bristol that was used as a chop shop which dealt in stolen car parts.

Leonard Hodgkins, 50, of Malvern, Jimmy Butler, 41, of Hindlip, and Benjamin Hobbs of Bristol, were facing a trial for conspiracy to commit theft at Hereford Crown Court, but changed their pleas to guilty on Friday, September 18th.

The fourth gang member, David Hodgkins of the Furlong Parrick, pleaded guilty in December of last year.

A police investigation dubbed Operation Lyondale was launched following Butler's arrest in November 2025, during which officers found items of clothing that had been seen in CCTV of thefts being committed.

The other three men were arrested days later.

Parts of stolen cars were found at the Chop Shop in Bristol, which was owned by Hobbs, as well as documents and a jacket from one of the vehicles.

Detective Sergeant Mark Jones of Hereford Reactive CID, who was a lead inspector for Operation Lyondale, said, ''This was a complex but ultimately successful investigation that tracked down and prosecuted this gang of car thieves, so we are pleased to get these sentences.'' as their criminality harmed many people in our force area and neighbouring forces too.