Father and son burgled homes for 'Asian gold'

GANG DROVE TO TARGET VICTIMS IN NORTH EAST

- By ROB KENNEDY Court Reporter

A FATHER and son were part of a travelling gang of burglars targeting "Asian gold" in a series of home raids.

James Loveridge senior and James Loveridge junior broke into properties in Northumberland and Thornaby, helping themselves to valuables worth thousands of pounds.

Using vehicles with cloned registration plates, they came to the North East with others to specifically target households where they believed they would be able to get their hands on the precious metal.

Loveridge senior was also part of a gang who broke into houses in the North West in similar raids, in which cleaning fluids were used to remove forensic evidence.

Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said: "The defendants were members of a group who travelled from the Greater Manchester area to the North East to carry out targeted burglaries on domestic addresses in search of Asian gold."