A group of men who allegedly colluded with BT employees to steal thousands of pounds of underground cables face a crown court trial this year.
The four men appeared before Thames Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to steal.
They were arrested after police allegedly seized BT cables at a Dagenham scrapyard on December 13.
They are Ryan Willey, 25, of Roosevelt Way, Dagenham, John Harding, 51, of Meadow Road, Romford, Jamie Ratford, 32, of Fernill Street, Woolwich and Tommy Taylor, 35, of Meadow Lane, Wickford, Essex.
They have been bailed to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on March 21.
Two other defendants appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to steal on December 15.
They are Jamie Summerscales, 38, of Springfield Road, West Ham, and Simon Read, 39, of Station Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
They have also been bailed to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 21.
Meanwhile, two BT workers, a 54-year-old man from Hertfordshire and a 58-year-old man from Essex, and a 42-year-old woman from Essex, have been bailed to March 20 pending further inquiries.
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