A gang of young thieves who went on a 16-day spree of stealing cars, motorbikes and mopeds have been locked up for a total of eight years.

The four-strong gang, who have more than 100 previous convictions between them, stole seven vehicles worth around £14,000 in the Daventry area last May and June.

On two occasions a number of the gang were arrested and released, going on to commit more offences while on bail.

Three men – Tyler Testro, Matthew Brown, and Joshua Benson – and 17-year-old Brett Wykes were all jailed at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, after admitting conspiracy to steal.

Testro, aged 21, of Plough Close, Daventry, and Brown, aged 21, of Coleridge Walk, Daventry, were sentenced to 30 months, while Wykes, of William Road, Long Buckby, and Benson, aged 18, of Hood Road, Daventry, were sentenced to 18 months’ detention.

Matthew Lowe, prosecuting, told the court the first offence was on May 24, when the gang broke into a unit on the Drayton Field industrial estate, stealing bags containing car keys from the canteen.

They stole a £10,000 Ford Focus, and within an hour tried unsuccessfully to withdraw money from a cash machine in Crick. Over the next two days, they stole a £400 Vauxhall Vectra and a £1,000 Yamaha motorcycle.

The defendants were arrested and bailed, and on June 6 stole a Suzuki motorcycle worth £3,000 from the Tesco distribution centre, near Crick. They used a BMW to tow it in a failed attempt to start it, and later dumped it in a field near Kilsby.

Benson, Brown and Testro were arrested again, with police finding items including metal bars, knives, gloves and balaclavas in the BMW.

But they were again released on bail, and two days later stole three mopeds worth £2,100 – from Daventry, Welton and West Haddon – and were all later found burnt out. The final incident was captured on CCTV, when the gang tried to steal a bike from a recovery vehicle in London Road, Daventry.

The court was told the men have a total of 102 previous convictions between them: 50 for Testro, 27 for Brown, 13 for Benson and 12 for Wykes. Many of the offences were burglary, dishonesty, handling stolen goods and aggravated vehicle taking.

Although the men denied being involved in all of the offences, they were sentenced on the basis that they were equally culpable.

The court also heard Testro took part in the theft at Crick, despite being electronically tagged.

Judge Richard Bray said: “This was a sustained period of offending in the summer of last year, during which you offended repeatedly while on bail. This has caused a great deal of concern and distress to the owners of the vehicles.”

A fifth defendant, Daniel Howard, aged 20, was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work for handling stolen goods. He kept one of the stolen bikes at his house in Milton Keynes.

The Gusher’s inaugural fundraising event in aid of The Jago Worrall Foundation has boosted its funds by £600.

The family quiz night was held at the Saxon Suite at Daventry Leisure Centre on Friday where 15 teams pit their wits to win some top prizes.

The quiz was the first in a series of fundraising events organised by the Gusher to help Jago Worrall, from Welton. The two-year-old was left with severe brain injuries after an accident at the family home where he nearly drowned.

However he is recovering quickly and now his parents Barney and Lyn want to bring him back to his home in Welton while giving him the necessary care and treatment.

The quiz was won by The Quizzee Rascals who claimed the prize of a family ticket to Legoland Resort Windsor while the Cotton Raiders won a family bowling ticket to Hellidon Lakes.

Deputy editor of the Daventry Express, Amanda Chalmers, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who supported the event, both on ther night and by donating their time or products.

“This is another fabulous boost to the campaign funds.”

The Gusher would like to thank Everyone Active at Daventry Leisure Centre for providing the venue as well as the following companies for provising raffle prizes: West Midland Safari Park, the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, Northampton Town Football Club, Daventry Court Hotel, Daytona in Milton Keynes, Cineworld in Northampton, TenPin in Northampton, Jackie Lammin Reiki Master and therapist, Brookes Beauty and Orange Blossom in Daventry.

To donate to the foundation, visit www.justgiving.com/thejagoworrallfoundation or pop into the Daventry Express offices in the High Street.

THE Abbey Junior School in Daventry has been judged to be making reasonable progress in a report released yesterday (Thursday).

The school was previously put in special measures by the Government body Ofsted in June last year.

This has meant that Ofsted regular visits the school to ensure it is making progress. The latest inspection, carried out in February, is the second since it was put into special measures.

For more details and reaction to the report, see next week’s Daventry Express

A 10-point plan for prosperity has been launched in Northamptonshire.

Developed by Northamptonshire County Council along with Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership the strategy sets out how up to 70,000 jobs could be created in the county by 2028.

The plan calls for more devolved funding so that Northamptonshire can have greater control over its growth agenda and target funds.

The plan was presented to Prime Minister David Cameron this week by leader of the county council, Cllr Jim Harker.

Cllr Harker said: “We’ve got very clear ideas about what we need to do to create the conditions to bring economic prosperity to the county and this 10-point plan sets out our ambition working with NEP and the business community.

“These have been very challenging times for the county from a financial point of view but this has inspired us to think of innovative wsolutions and already we’re starting to see positive signs in the economy.”

Paul Southworth, chairman of Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, said: “The county’s progressive approach to stimulating growth and investment as illustrated through the 10-point plan has powerful potential for the local and national economy.”

The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Northamptonshire County Council has said he believes people want to see a coalition of politicians running the county.

The leader of the group, Councillor Brendan Glynane said he thought people wanted to see a hung-council following the election, with parties working together to run the county.

He said: “What we should be looking for is a council with no overall control.

“That may be what the county wants, because they certainly want that with the coalition Government.”

He believes the Liberal Democrats could hold the balance of power following the May election and did not rule out working with the Conservatives or Labour to lead the council, which is responsible for services such as social care and schools.

A pensioner from Weedon has died after being involved in a car crash where a van smashed into the front of a village pub.

Kenneth Kirkpatrick, 80, of Oak Street in Upper Weedon, was travelling northbound along the A5 in a silver Mercedes on Friday.

He was involved in a collision with a white Volkswagen LT35 van, travelling in the opposite direction at Fosters Booth at around 1pm.

As a result of the crash, the van hit the porch of the Red Lion pub and began leaking diesel.

Mr Kirkpatrick was taken to the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry, where he died in the critical care unit at 5.45pm on Saturday.

The male driver of the van, from Stacey Bushes in Milton Keynes, was uninjured.

Paul Howard, who lives near to the pub, said: “I heard a big bang and went outside to see what it was. The van had crashed into the pub and totally destroyed the porch.

“The car and van were badly smashed up in the accident and there was a lot of damage to the front of the pub.

“The van driver and passenger were stunned with shock. Their hands were shaking.”

The A5 was closed between Weedon and Towcester for around four hours after the smash while the emegency services cleaned the fuel spillage.

The pub porch was severely damaged in the incident.

A police spokesman said: “The collision caused significant disruption on the roads in the vicinity of the A5 at Fosters Booth on Friday afternoon.”

Witnesses or anyone with information can call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

A Northamptonshire teenager has pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism and poseession of prohibited images of children in court.

The 16-year-old boy, who can not be named for legal reasons, was this week sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after drawing up plans to carry out a massacre at his school.

It follows on from his appearance at Birmingham Youth Court on Monday.

The court heard the boy, went on a chat room in February, last year. He began chatting with an American user, before telling the person he was preparing to carry out a massacre at his school, using handguns and would then commit suicide.

This led to Northamptonshire Police being alerted who raided his home. They found drawings of his classrooms and lists of names who would be targetted during the attack.

They found banned books on his computer detailing how to use weaponry and make Semtex, fertiliser bombs and other explosives.

They also found one pot of Sulphur powder and another of Potassium Nitrate which, when mixed with other readily available materials, can make a rudimentary explosive.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Behan, from Northampton CID, said: “I welcome the decision of the defendant to enter a guilty plea.

“Not only has this proven to be a complex investigation for us, it has also had a huge impact on the community in which the defendant lived.

“Throughout the year we have been in close contact with the school the defendant attended, in a bid to keep them and the students who shared classes with him informed of the investigation.

“Clearly, the nature of some of the evidence discovered as part of the investigation caused great concern and so it was vital that we worked closely with the school to ensure students who were featured in the defendant’s diaries received as much support as possible.”

The teen also had in his possession around 20,000 downloaded drawings of child abuse.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of explosives, one terrorism charge and another charge of possession of prohibited images of children. He will be treated at a secure hospital in the West Midlands.

Students from the Northampton College in Daventry got the chance to question a panel of local professionals on Monday in a Question Time-style event.

The panel line-up included leader of DDC Chris Millar, Cllr Alan Hills, Cllr Chris Over, business engagement manager for the SWAN Sam Fitzgerald and County Cllr Chris Long.

Pupils asked about plans for the regeneration of Daventry, what the town had going for it and how the council would help get young people into employment. A discussion also took place around the value of apprenticeships with the panel assuring students they should not feel pressured to go to university.

Cllr Millar said: “Daventry is going to become a very exciting place with the development of the town centre vision and it will bring more jobs to the area as well as retail units and a new cinema.”

Councillors listed the iCon centre, UTC, outdoor gym and nature trails as some of the positives of living in Daventry, as well as employment opportunities. Cllr Hills added: “The unemployment in Daventry is one of the lowest in the country, about 2.5 per cent, and the number of people seeking jobs actually matches the number of vacancies.”

Councillors also told students about the low rental prices for people starting up new businesses in the town and encouraged them to think about entrepreneurial opportunities.

Ms Fitzgerald said: “You can’t just expect a job to come to you, you have to go out and grab one by getting experience and working part time and we can help you with that.”

THE work by the Daventry Friends of Iganga will be highlighted at their AGM.

The friends were set up 11 years ago to promote the links between Daventry and the Ugandan town of Iganga.

The Friends have improved water sources, set up new clinics and improved hospital conditions, and helped with an orphanage and school for blind children.

On Friday, March 22, there will be an AGM followed by reports on visits, including from teachers and students at Danetre School.

Jan Morrott will also update on the links forged between local schools and ones in Iganga. Tom Jackson, from Water for Kids, will then talk about new projects in Iganga, and Peter Minhinett will round off the evening talking about his recent visit.

The AGM takes place on March 22 at 7pm in Daventry Methodist Church, Golding Close, near the leisure centre.

An information evening is being held for those thinking of standing in the Northamptonshire County Council elections on May 2.

The event will cover the nomination process, election timetable, absent voting, opening postal votes, polling day and candidates’ expenses.

There will also be a chance to ask questions and pick up nominations papers.

The first event takes place on Tuesday, March 19 at Daventry District Council’s offices at 4pm, then at South Northamptonshire Council’s offices in Towcester on Thursday, March 21 also at 4pm.

A man was arrested after a fight in Daventry on Saturday night (March 16).

Police say they were called to Brook Street, outside the Dun Cow at 10.10pm.

They say an altercation started between two men and moved out onto the street. An ambulance was called to the scene, and it was the ambulance staff that then called the police.

A 37-year-old man was found with injuries that were initially thought to be serious, but later were judged not to be.

A 60-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault. He was later released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Final proposals to downgrade Daventry’s ambulance station have been revealed by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS).

The service has published papers due to go before its board meeting on Monday March 25.

The papers detail the current proposals, which will see Daventry retain only a ‘community ambulance station’ – a point where ambulance staff can rest and get refreshments, but not restock their vehicle.

The other nearest stations will be Brackley, classed as an Ambulance Station where vehicles can restock, and Northampton North, an Ambulance Station Hub which means it has extra facilities to look after and maintain vehicles.

The final decision on whether to adopt these proposals will be taken by the EMAS board.

EMAS chief executive Phil Milligan said: “The aim of our Being the Best change programme has always been to improve response times to emergency 999 calls and to improve the working lives of our frontline staff.

“I am pleased our staff, and the people and organisations who have an interest in the service we provide have taken the time to be involved, to have their say and help to shape our plans.

“In the true spirit of consultation, that is what has happened. We’ve listened to the responses received during the consultation and we’ve developed and shaped our plans using that feedback.

“Our service has got to change if we are to improve. The decision we make on Monday 25 March has to be right for our patients and right for our staff. I am confident that we will get it right for the people of the East Midlands.”

A by-election for a seat on Daventry District Council is set to be held in May following the resignation of Councillor Nick Bunting.

A notice of vacancy for the Brixworth ward seat has been posted and the council has received the required number of elector requests to hold an election.

A notice of election is expected to be issued on March 26 and potential candidates will have until April 5 to submit their nomination papers.

If the by-election is contested then it would be held on May 2, the same day that the Northamptonshire County Council elections will take place.

Scratch and sniff cards are to be used in the Daventry area to help members of the public identify locations of cannabis factories.

Independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is today (Tuesday) launching a campaign to tackle cannabis cultivation in the UK, a growing crime which has seen a 15% increase in cannabis factories in 2011/12.

Hotspot areas targeted in this campaign include Northamptonshire, which have all been identified in an Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) report as areas with the highest number of cannabis farms in the UK. In Northamptonshire over 300 cannabis farms were identified by ACPO across 2010/2012.

Founder and chairman of Crimestoppers, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC said: “Cannabis farms grow more than just drugs. Those who are cultivating cannabis tend to be involved in other areas of crime and are often involved in related gang crime and other violent crimes involving firearms.

“These individuals use violence and intimidation to carry out these crimes and endanger the lives of those around them. We want to help put an end to this and the funding that cultivation provides to serious organised crimes like human trafficking and gun crime.”

Crimestoppers director of operations, Roger Critchell said: “We are distributing “scratch and sniff” cards because not many people know how to recognise the signs of cannabis cultivation happening in their neighbourhood, many are also not familiar with the established links between this crime and serious organised crime.

“Cannabis farms make everyone a victim. Is organised crime running a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood? Give us information anonymously on 0800 555 111 to help play your part in keeping our streets safe.”

Local varieties of heritage fruits were planted at a village park.

Groups planted a mixture of heritage apple trees, plums, pears, gages and cherries, all from the East Midlands, to create a community orchard at Cotton End Park in Long Buckby.

Community orchard coordinator Daniel Tabor said: “Sponsors and friends were invited to come and plant ‘their’ trees, and over 70 people of all ages attended.

“The team work and community spirit on display were wonderful and inspirational. It was great to see families, youth groups and others all working to plant the trees.”

Long Buckby Green Spaces is a voluntary group, set up to create a public amenity and nature reserve at Cotton End Park, a 10-acre site on the edge of Long Buckby.

The community orchard is just one of the projects taking shape at the new park. It received a grant from The Big Tree Plant (part of the National Lottery) to buy the trees.

More events are planned for later on this year, including the official opening of Cotton End Park on Monday, May 27 at noon. Pictured are, Cllr Diana Osborne, with from left, community orchard coordinator Daniel Tabor, with the chairman of the Long Buckby Green Spaces committee Nick Roberts.

Council tax payers in Daventry have been opening their bills to discover the part paid to Daventry Town Council has gone up by 14 per cent year on year, despite the council saying it was cutting its budget.

The inflation-busting increase has prompted several people to contact the town council asking exactly what has happened.

The town council has now put out a statement saying it has actually reduced its budget, but that changes to council tax benefit means there are fewer households to pay it, resulting in each having to pay more.

The statement says: “In the past the government has provided 100 per cent funding to support the amount Daventry District Council has to contribute in Council Tax Benefit.

“This year the funding has been reduced by 10 per cent, affecting the council tax base of precepting

authorities – like the town council.

“Daventry Town Council has been able to reduce the amount of its precept for the year 2013/14, despite recently taking on the provision of additional services, such as CCTV.

“At its meeting in December the council agreed its requirement was £289,260, a reduction of £1,200 on the previous year.

“However, the impact of the reduction in council tax support on the council tax base is such that the tax levied on

a ‘Band D’ property will still increase by £4.37 per annum.

“Members of the town council, at its meeting on January 28, agreed the option to take a grant from the district council to offset the shortfall, but agreed this was a short-term solution to a long term problem and next year they may be forced to cut services as the grant may not be available and legislation may prevent them

from raising the precept more than two to three per cent.

“Subsequently, the council resolved to precept for their budget requirement and take £30,000 as an additional payment to fund additional services.”

A VILLAGE drama group is seeking new talent to joinits ranks by hosting a series of open auditions.

Buckby Actors, founded last year, is now planning to stage its first stage shows.

It has been founded by Silke Kost, a German living in Long Buckby who worked as an actress, writer and director on the stage as well as on television.

She said: “We need some more actors who are willing to join us to have a lot of fun while taking the work on a role seriously.

“We hope lots of interested people will turn up to work with us.”

The audition will be held at Long Buckby Football Club on Thursday, March 28 at 7.30pm.

No previous acting experience is necessary but is helpful. Anyone auditioning must also be 18 or over.

A deal has been signed to bring superfast broadband to households in the Daventry area.

Northamptonshire County Council and BT signed the £16.2 million contract to bring faster broadband speeds to rural and isolated locations, which might otherwise be left out of commercial projects.

The project will build on existing commercial fibre optic investment and will provide world class broadband speeds to 53,000 homes and businesses.

Work will start immediately with the first locations in the county enabled with fibre later this year.

An assessment carried out by NCC said the project would help create 1,700 additional jobs by 2027, and an additional £110 million annual gross value added to the county’s economy.

Cllr Andre Gonzalez De Savage said: “This is undoubtedly one of the biggest projects we’re involved with which will make an enormous difference in bringing prosperity to the county.

“Having widely available superfast broadband is essential if we are to compete in the digital global economy and I’m delighted that we’ve reached such a significant stage of this initiative.”

BT will contribute £8.1 million to the project, with £4.08 million from Broadband UK – the Government’s broadband delivery programme – and Northamptonshire County Council.

An Ofsted report has judged child protection services at Northamptonshire County Council as ‘inadequate’.

The highly critical report was published at 9.30am today.

The report said: “Children and young people in Northamptonshire are not effectively protected from harm.

“There are systematic weaknesses and inconsistent and ineffective practices that contribute to children and young people at risk of harm not consistently being recognised or helped.

“Agencies do not focus sufficiently on the potential risks faced by children and young people to ensure that further harm is prevented.”

The chief executive of the council, Paul Blantern, said the authority fully accepted the findings of the investigation.

He said: “There are two major themes emerging from the inspection process. The first is that we and our partners need to improve the way we identify and assess children’s vulnerability so we can reduce the risk of children and young people suffering harm and abuse.

“The second is that we need to make sure we listen to and see things much more from the child’s perspective.

“Children and young people are not being appropriately involved in existing processes and as a result, their feelings and experiences are too infrequently taken into account.”

In response to the report, the council has launched an immediate ‘recovery programme’.

TICKETS have gone on sale for a fairytale ball in Crick which aims to raise funds for charity.

The Charity Fairytale Ball will be held at the Holiday Inn Rugby/Northampton based at Crick on Friday, May 3.

Tickets for the event costs £24.99 and the proceeds will go to the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.

The entrance fee to the event includes a glass of Kir Royale on arrival, a three- course meal with a half a bottle of wine and a disco.

There will also be live music from Prince Charming, a tribute act based on singer Michael Buble.

For further information or to book tickets in advance call 01788 824840 or alternatively email meetings-rugby@ihg.com.