MEMBERS of a gang of travellers who preyed on vulnerable victims have been sentenced to a total of 16-and-a-half years in prison.

Three of the four crooks were jailed on December 1 - just weeks after being convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of conning huge fees for unnecessary garden work out of vulnerable residents in Hampshire, Berkshire, Sussex and Surrey.

Police say the gang handled so much money that when a caravan belonging to one of them was raided, a total of £225,530 in cash was found, including £185,000 in a suitcase wrapped in Christmas paper.

Albert Bowers, 46, of Marchwood, Southampton, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for the offence of conspiracy to defraud, with a two-year concurrent sentence for conspiracy to damage property. He was also ordered to pay court costs capped at £25,000.

Both 36-year-old Maurice Smith, of Attwood Close, Basingstoke, and Edward Smith, 37, formerly of Devon, but latterly of Cranleigh in Surrey, were sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for conspiracy to defraud, with a two-year concurrent sentence for conspiracy to damage property.

Albert Bowers' wife Margaret, 41, from Bursledon, Southampton, who was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, was spared jail so she could look after her five children, all aged under 17. Instead, she was told to complete 100 hours of community service.

Sentencing the gang, Judge David Griffiths said: "Your usual technique was to lie in order to press residents often to have completely unnecessary work done and you would, of course, grossly over-charge when you felt you could. When bluff and lies did not work, you were quite prepared to resort to intimidation."

He added: "One of the witnesses was so distressed that she seriously considered moving house. It was a distressing feature of this case to have witnesses who are decent vulnerable persons that have been cruelly exploited by you."

Judge Griffiths told Bowers: "You are the ringleader in this matter of appalling behaviour, over a lengthy period of time."

At their nine-week trial, all of the defendants pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against them. Bowers' son Joe, 22, of Padworth Common in Berkshire, who was alleged to be part of the gang, was acquitted of all the charges he faced.

The jury heard of 24 cases where the gang, posing as bona fide garden contractors, had carried out work from 1997 to June 30, 2004.

In the Basingstoke area, Albert Bowers visited houses claiming to be Donald Knight, a reputable tree surgeon from Old Basing.

Among the victims was Alan Broad, of Norden Close, South View, Basingstoke, who was charged £500 for the removal of a tree, while Christopher Fletcher, of Fairclose, Whitchurch, paid £600 for Bowers to cut down a holly tree.

Edward Robinson, of Merriat Close, Cranbourne, Basingstoke, paid Bowers for a number of jobs amounting to more than £10,000 in four years.

Another victim, Ian Cannon, of Knight Street, Basingstoke, paid £1,000 for a number of trees to be cut down that gang members told him were diseased.

However, a later inspection by Colin Bashford, an arboricultural expert, showed that the trees were healthy and the work was extortionately priced.

The group was rumbled by Old Basing resident Sandra Martin after Albert Bowers offered to cut down what he said was a poplar tree, but was actually a telegraph pole covered in ivy.

After the sentencing, the officer leading the investigation, Detective Constable Darren Hooper, said: "We are very happy with the sentencing delivered today by Judge Griffiths.

"We hope that sends a message to others who commit this kind of crime.

"The investigators would like to pay tribute to the elderly and vulnerable people who, despite being fearful of the prospect of giving evidence in court, were prepared to do their public duty and give evidence in this trial."