Arrogant criminal who recorded himself with wads of cash mocked by police as he’s jailed for over two years

Samuel Walmsley, 20, was among fourteen men jailed for nearly 50 years for their part in crime conspiracies that included drug importation and vehicle thefts. And after his jailing, Lancashire Police poked fun at him by comparing a picture of him holding up the cash with his mugshot, saying: “How it started… How it’s going”.

They added that it was not his "brightest idea" to film the footage. The criminal, who operated near Great Harwood, Lancashire, was found to be part of the gang after police recovered several incriminating videos from his phone.

This footage implicated him in the supply of cocaine and cannabis. But it also showed him brazenly filming his co-defendant in a stolen van, capturing items taken during burglaries and describing it as a ‘good night’s work’. Police later found videos that he’d posted on a communityFacebook group of his fellow defendants breaking into a car and laughing, saying: “That’s me in the boot”.

Walmsley was later given two years and four months in prison for conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle at Preston Crown Court. The police investigation into the gang began when an Audi car carrying Walmsley and Noah Mulligan, 21, failed to stop and later crashed on October 7 last year.

The pair managed to escape but were later found and arrested on suspicion of going equipped after a number of tools associated with burglary were recovered from it. Following enquiries, a warrant was executed at a house belonging to Jordan Whittam, 20, where £1,200 of cannabis in individual deals was recovered.

A telephone was seized, which contained messages related to drug dealing. But Whittam had also used the device to either implicate himself or his co-defendants in different burglaries - and to film his large amounts of money.

Speaking following the sentencing of the 14 men, DS Stu Peall, of the force’s East Exploitation Team, said they had “mocked” hard-working residents with their videos.

He said: “These defendants caused a great deal of misery in Great Harwood and surrounding areas, exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of society for pure greed. Some even thought it appropriate to capture their criminal activities on film and brazenly mock hard-working members of society.

“This significant policing operation has led to separate OCGs operating in the same town being dismantled and its members put before the courts. I hope the outcome of this case sends a strong message that Lancashire Police will not tolerate criminal activity of any kind and put those who wish to engage in it before the courts.”

The operation was part of Operations Warrior and Defender, Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden’s Fighting Crime Plan priority of disrupting and dismantling organised crime and robustly and pro-actively tackling burglary.

Mr Snowden said: "This is a fantastic result and credit to the hard work and dedication of the Constabulary’s officers. Organised crime gangs are a blight on society as they bring fear, violence, drugs and exploitation into Lancashire and I would encourage anyone who has any information to come forward and report it to the police or anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers.”