Jaspreet Oberoi, Lee Clark, Dean Tonks, Ricky Collins, Daniel Hemmings, David Aignotti and Shaun Webber, were sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, 27 months imprisonment suspended for two years, 15 months imprisonment, 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years, 42 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years, 49 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years respectively, for conspiracy to steal offences.
Between March and November 2016, Oberoi, Clark, Karl Domonkos, Mark Domonkos, Tonks, Joseph Savage, Neil Atkinson, David McClure, Timothy Cruxon and Robert Barwell, were said to have conspired in the stealing of rail from Network Rail trackside and depot locations in the East of England on 89 occasions.
Steven Ashby, a former railway contractor, who pleaded guilty to his part at an earlier court hearing, passed away prior to sentencing.
Those with insider knowledge were said to be passing the location of rails to other conspirators.
JSJ Metal Recycling
Heavy goods vehicles attended the location and access was said to be gained with the help of railway contractors. The rail was loaded and driven back to scrap metal business – JSJ Metal Recycling – of which Oberoi was a director.
During a six-week trial commencing in January 2022 at Sheffield Crown Court, Oberoi, Clark, Karl Domonkos and Mark Domonkos were found guilty. McClure was found guilty at a second trial held during April 2022. The others are said to admitted their guilt at an earlier hearing.
During the investigation, the British Transport Police revealed a further conspiracy to steal rail which it said took place over a similar time period (May-November 2016). This conspiracy involved the Network Rail manager, Ricky Collins.
Collins was overseeing a rail upgrade of the Midlands Mainline and passing locations of stockpiled rail to Oberoi via third parties. The hauliers Clark and Hemmings attended the locations where rail was again loaded onto lorries and transported back to the scrap metal dealer, JSJ Metal Recycling.
This took place on 36 occasions at locations including Kettering, Market Harborough, Derby, Burton-on-Trent and Braybrooke.
After a three-week trial in July 2023, Hemmings was convicted of his part in the second conspiracy to steal rail. Oberoi, Collins, Anginotti, Clark and Webber pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to steal rail at earlier hearings.
During the three trials, it was said to be proven that JSJ Metal Recycling made the arrangements for the collection of stolen rail, and the company is said to have profited from these stolen goods by selling it as scrap metal to legitimate customers and businesses.
Anginotti ran the company South Yorkshire Metals and is thought to have acted together with Webber, a railway contractor, as an intermediary between Collins and JSJ Metal Recycling.
‘Motivated by greed’
Stephane Pendered of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “These were significant conspiracies to steal rail. Collectively, they stole on 125 occasions from Network Rail, which is partly funded by UK taxpayer, to the tune of billions of pounds.
“The defendants were motivated by greed and showed no regard that these rails were needed for the running of essential rail services for passengers and businesses or to the obvious public safety risks caused by doing these thefts trackside.
“The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division has commenced proceedings to recover these defendants’ ill-gotten gains.”
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