FIVE men have been jailed for their part in an orchestrated campaign of crime aimed at Sainsbury's supermarket and other distribution deopts across Kent, London and the South East.

The campaign took place between January and December 2004 but the gang was finally caught by a specialist team of officers from Kent and Metropolitan Police during a raid in Hampshire.

The men carried out 53 burglaries and robberies. They often attacked Sainsbury's branches overnight using knives and crowbars and they threatened staff with violence and even death before grabbing cash and goods.

In total, police believe they stole £364,000 in cash and goods. Tens of thousands of pounds of damage was also caused to premises they raided.

Stores in Tunbridge Wells, Aylesford and Maidstone were targeted plus others in the London area and in the south.

Raymond Beaver, 27, Michael Shortt, 25, Leon Duffy, 22, Ryan Herrick, 23 and 22-year-old Karl Taylor, all from London, were given jail sentences ranging from 30 months to 10 years.