Six jailed for 49 years over Torquay kidnap and gang burglaries across the South West

Six men have been jailed for a total of 49 years after a gang who identified victims through Instagram carried out a kidnapping in Torquay and a series of coordinated house burglaries across the south of England.

The group, all from Swindon, were sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Tuesday 14 July after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit burglary with intent to steal, following an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, launched in January 2026.

Franklin O'Dwyer, 25, of Ermin Street, was sentenced to 10 years and five months after also admitting false imprisonment and possession with intent to supply cannabis. Altan O'Connell, 27, of Highdown Way, received 11 years and 10 months after admitting kidnap, false imprisonment and handling stolen goods, and was sentenced separately for dangerous driving and possession of cocaine following a police pursuit that began in Swindon on 19 October 2025. Luke McInerney, 31, of Bath Road, was also sentenced to 11 years and 10 months after admitting kidnap, false imprisonment, handling stolen goods and possessing counterfeit currency.

Nicholas O'Dwyer, 56, of Groundswell Road, was sentenced to six years and three months after admitting possessing counterfeit currency. Dwain Stratford, 35, of Beech Avenue, received four years and eight months, and Karl Houghton, 36, of Elgin Drive, was sentenced to four years. All six were also disqualified from driving for two years, delayed until their release, with O'Connell banned for three years.

The court heard that at around 1am on 14 January 2026, the victim was asleep in his Torquay home when he was woken by his dog barking and found three of the men in his kitchen. They demanded his watches, but the victim told them the watches had already been stolen. The men searched the property, tearing paintings from the wall and emptying drawers, before binding the victim's hands with cable ties, taping his mouth, and planning to take him to an address in London where they believed further watches could be found. Franklin O'Dwyer left the property at this point and was not seen again during the offence.

The remaining two men put the victim in the back of his own electric car and drove north up the M5, but the battery ran critically low near Bridgwater. They then put him in the boot and abandoned the car in a country lane near Puriton before fleeing. The victim freed himself from the cable ties, escaped the boot, retrieved the keys and used the car's remaining charge to reach a nearby supermarket, where he raised the alarm.

Detectives established the group was based in the Wiltshire area and linked them to a separate dwelling burglary in Southampton on 11 January. On 4 February, officers from Devon and Cornwall Police and Wiltshire Police carried out simultaneous warrants at addresses in Swindon, recovering stolen vehicles, watches, jewellery, designer handbags, drones, cash, and items including balaclavas, hammers and multiple mobile phones.

A review of phones linked to the group found Instagram search terms connected to both the Torquay and Southampton offences, and investigators believe the group also used open-source research tools to plan their crimes. It was further established that the group had hired vehicles, largely booked in their own names using personal bank details, to travel to victims' addresses.

A statement from the kidnap victim was read to the court, in which he described the impact on his sense of safety, saying that while bound and gagged in the car, he "became genuinely frightened and believed I was likely to die." Victims of the Southampton burglary also provided statements describing a "sense of violation," with one stating: "This was not just theft. It was a violation of our home, our family, and our sense of safety."

Sentencing, HHJ Patrick praised the police investigation, particularly the speed with which those involved were identified and brought to justice, and noted the significant psychological impact of the offending on both the burglary victims and the 71-year-old kidnap victim.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Tom Canning said: "This case has involved a significant investigation involving multiple forces, specialist technical investigative skills, and collating a case while ultimately resulted in six guilty pleas. Social media is a common part of modern life, but this case is a reminder that it does come with risks and is an example of how people can seek out and use that information against you if they have ill intention. I would urge people to consider what they post onto social media and into the public domain. Do you know what information could be extracted from your pictures are video and even who can see them?"