A gang who were caught driving a stolen Land Rover, after a botched attempt to steal another, have been sentenced.

They had been caught by police attempting to steal Land Rovers in Sittingbourne in May last year.

The group were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday after each pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to steal.

William Bevan, 30, of Fourth Avenue, Gillingham, was jailed for two years and eight months.

Jamie Ceballos, 34, of Pier Road, Gillingham, was jailed for one year and eight months and Martin Ward, 42, of Whyman Avenue, Chatham, was jailed for one year and six months.

Two 21-year-olds, Jonathan Delaney of Barnora Crescent, Co Tiperary, and Johnylee Eastwood of Elm Road, Basildon, each received a 12 month sentence suspended for 18 months.

The court heard how in the Lower Halstow area at 11.15pm on Monday, May 4 2015, a man saw three men who were appearing to jump-start his neighbour’s blue Land Rover.

A silver people carrier was then seen to pull up and the men left the Land Rover and got into the vehicle before it was driven away.

The man then contacted his neighbours who confirmed the Land Rover was not where it was originally parked.

They called the police and five minutes later an officer saw a vehicle matching the description of the silver people carrier in Breach Lane, Lower Halstow. There was a white Land Rover Defender following this vehicle.

Officers followed the vehicles for a while before pulling them over.

Ward was in the driver’s seat of the silver people carrier, a Kia Sedona, with Eastwood and Delaney in the back.

Ceballos and Bevan were in the white Land Rover which officers soon discovered had been reported as having been stolen earlier that night from the village.

As part of the investigation officers found that the keys used to steal the white Land Rover were not the original keys and had been made in preparation of stealing the vehicle.

Investigating officer, Det Con Iain Joyce, said: "This group deliberately targeted Land Rovers in an attempt to steal and sell them on for cash, but their crimes went unpaid and now they have paid the ultimate price.

"I’d like to remind anyone thinking of committing crime in Kent that our officers are watching and working hard to target criminals.

"Drivers should try to park in well-lit areas and ensure vehicles are secured and valuables removed to help minimise the risk of theft."