A professional criminal funded a jetsetting lifestyle by allegedly masterminding burglaries across Devon which cost businesses hundred of thousands of pounds.

Reginald Soper was claiming Jobseekers Allowance and living in a caravan but had been on two holidays to Jamaica, two to Cyprus, and trips to Mexico, Egypt and Majorca in the four years before his arrest.

He formed part of a gang which carried out 54 raids on jewellers and small businesses all over Devon.

The other members were his older brother Percy, who lived at the same caravan site near Taunton, his stepson Daniel Small, and his friend Nicky Christian, who both lived in Plymouth.

The group never left finger prints and planned their raids to ensure there was no evidence to link them to the burglaries.

Their most frequent targets were firms with units on small trading estates and stretched from Plymouth in the West to Beer and Dunster in the East and from Churchstow in the South to Hatherleigh and South Molton in the North.

They caused massive damage, smashing their way through walls or fire exit doors and used tools to remove safes. They wore masks or disguises to hide their faces.

The total value of the goods stolen was tens of thousands of pounds including £50,000 from five jewellery shops.

Exeter Crown Court was told how they were arrested after a five month police operation codenamed Churchill in the summer of 2012.

Detectives used CCTV footage, shoe prints, DNA from the handle of tools, number plate recognition, mobile phone evidence and even a hidden camera in a safe to link the men to many of the offences.

They are linked to the rest by the use of vehicles and the similarities in method.

Reginald Soper, aged 50, and his brother Percy Soper, aged 55, both of the Otterford caravan park at Culmhead, Taunton, Somerset, Daniel Small, aged 24, of Linketty Lane, Plympton, and Nick Christian, aged 24, of Bernice Terrace, Plymouth deny conspiracy to burgle.

 Reginald Soper, Small and Christian all deny two counts of conspiracy, including one dealing with the raids on jewelers while Percy Soper only faces one, dealing with the rest of the burglaries.

Mr Donald Tait, prosecuting, told the jury: 'This case is about burglaries and there were a lot of them. Our case is that these defendants, and the two Soper brothers in particular, are professional career criminals.

'They specialised in the burglary of commercial premises and Reginald Soper, with the assistance of Small and Christian also burgled antique and jewellery shops.

'They planned these offences in advance, wore disguises to avoid recognition. They were forensically aware and left very little to link them with the offences.

'According to tax records Reginald Soper had no income since at least 2006/7 and has claimed Jobseekers Allowance. The same applies to his brother.

'Despite Reginald apparently lacking employment and having no known income, he visited Jamaica in 2008.

'In September 2008 he also visited Cyprus. In January 2010 the Jamaica experience was repeated and in August 2010 he spent ten days in Cyprus.

In 2011 he spent 14 days in Majorca and in 2012 he had a spring break in Cancun, Mexico.

He said Christian's last known income was in 2010/11.

None of the defendants made any comment after their arrests.

The trial continues.