Six Men have been sentenced to nearly 36 years in prison for their involvement in violent burglaries and robberies in which vehicles were stolen.

The men, who targeted luxury cars, admitted a string of offences across three counties between November 2010 and January 2011.

Officers from Warwickshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands worked on the investigation, which saw two of the group arrested following a burglary and high speed pursuit in which officers were injured.

Simon Edward Badger (21) Terrance Harris (22) and 22-year-old Daniel Christopher Young were sentenced to eight years in jail.

Christopher French (27) was jailed for three years and 25-year-old John Shanley to five years and four months.

Meanwhile, John Joseph Woodman (25) was sentenced to three years and six months after pleading guilty to handling stolen goods worth around £160,000.

A Warwickshire Police spokesman said the men would sell the vehicles to Woodman who would dispose of them. The cars included Audis, Range Rovers and BMWs, most of which have still not been recovered.

DI Pete Hill, who led the investigation said: “The group would turn up in numbers wearing face coverings and armed with weapons such as machetes, axes, hammers and scaffold poles.

“They would force their way into dwelling houses where they would demand the keys for the high performance cars.

“If challenged by the occupants the group would often use excessive violence in order to secure they keys and make their escape. The group also targeted victims in the street and either threatened or assaulted them in order to steal the keys to the vehicle and then make off in the stolen car.”

During the pursuit where Harris and Badger were arrested, a police vehicle was rammed and two officers were taken to hospital.

DI Hill added: “I am pleased that the victims and their families will all know that for the next few years nobody else will have to go through the same ordeal that they had to endure.”