A burglary gang which raided homes across Devon were trapped by evidence from the satnav which they used to find their targets, a jury has been told.

The three Lithuanian men used the TomTom device to navigate around towns across Devon and a track downloaded by police allegedly showed close links to many of the 39 raids.

The intruders allegedly sought out empty homes which were fitted with UPVC front or patio doors which contained a type of cylinder lock which was particularly vulnerable to being broken or drilled out.

They struck not only in towns and villages including Exeter, Exmouth, Tiverton, and Newton Abbot but also in quiet villages in the South Hams, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Arturas Malysovas, aged 31, of South Esk Road, London; Dainius Gastilavicius, aged 39, of Worcester Road, East London, and Tomas Paulavicius, aged 36, of Raydons Road, Dagenham, all deny conspiracy to burgle.

Bathsheba Cassel, prosecuting, handed the jury a bundle of charts which showed that one or more of the men repeatedly visited Devon almost weekly.

She said they carried out a total of 23 raids or attempted raids in Devon and 16 elsewhere in Britain. They all involved a technique known as lock snapping.

She explained that their movements could be tracked by combining evidence from Paulavicius’ satnav, mobile phone cell site analysis, forensics from the burgled homes and numberplate recognition.

She listed some of the raids which are attributed to one or more of the men.

They include:

July 2014.

Pinr Grove, Honiton, two houses burgled.

Gloucester Road, Exeter.

August 2014.

Church Road, Bognor Regis.

Andrews Avenue, Bognor Regis.

September 2014.

Penpethy Rd, Brixham

October 2014;

Butts Park, Stokenham, no property stolen.

Mount Boone Way, Dartmouth. Two homes burgled, cash, jewellery stolen.

Redwalls Meadow, Dartmouth, no property stolen.

Vealenia Park, Ashburton, cash and jewellery stolen.

Villiers Road, Newton Abbot.

Robins Field, Chillington.

Peard Road, Tiverton, jewellery, cash and iPad stolen.

Winston Rd, Exmouth. Damage to lock, no entry gained.

November 2014.

Westcott Road, Tiverton. Two bungalows entered. Cash and Euros stolen.

Rydon Avenue, Kingsteignton.

December 2014- January 2015.

Coombes Avenue, Horsham.

Vale Drive, Horsham.

St Hughes Drive, L

March 2015.

Rusper Road, Horsham.

The trial continues.