A handful of men sporting home-made balaclavas armed with screwdrivers and pliers have been found guilty of ‘going equipped for theft’.
The four men, aged between 21 and 28, were found in a car in possession of the do-it-yourself masks and the dangerous tools.
Brothers Charlie and Mark Curtis from Willingham, Alfred Smith from Old Hurst and Steven Smith from Huntingdon were all convicted following a trial on Thursday, June 13.
The men were arrested after police officers were alerted to their car being driven around residential streets "suspiciously" in Cambridge.
The vehicle was stopped in Carisbrooke Road and the men were found inside, along with equipment hidden in the foot wells.
The equipment also included a drill and as well as the balaclavas, there was dark clothing including caps and scarves.
In interview all the men refused to comment and could not account for why they were in the car with the equipment. They will be sentenced on July 5.
PC Andy Smith said: "It was fairly clear these defendants were up to no good when they were spotted driving slowly around residential streets in the early hours of the morning.
"The equipment they were found with is typical of the kind of items used to illegally enter people's homes and if they had gone unchallenged they would likely have committed a more serious offence.
"Thankfully, because this vehicle was spotted acting suspiciously by officers, we were able to arrest and charge the offenders.
"I would urge anyone who spots something suspicious like this to contact us on 101 or 999, if it is an emergency, and help us to prevent crime."
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