50 years for family of burglars who stole £35million from stately home

by Dave Keating | August 7, 2008 at 05:12 am

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A notorious English criminal family has broken up, and four of its members sentenced to 50 years behind bars. The Johnson family gang was responsible for a huge number of heists and lived a luxurious lifestyle.

A GANG of gypsy burglars have been jailed for Britain's biggest stately home break-in.

The five men, who ram-raided the mansion and escaped with antiques worth more than £35million, were handed sentences of between eight and 11 years each - totalling almost 50 years.

Art experts believe the notorious Johnson traveller family's total haul from the raid - one of a series on wealthy homes and antique shops across the south of England - was more than £80million.

In a 2003 documentary, head of the family Ricky Johnson boasted he had the right to steal from "lords and ladies".

The biggest haul for the family was at Ramsbury Manor, Wiltshire, the home of property tycoon Harry Hyams.

The balaclava-clad gang tied metal poles to the front of a Subaru 4x4 and drove it through a downstairs window at 10.30pm on February 1, 2006.

They filled the boot with priceless art efacts before escaping over fields nearby.