A man has been arrested on suspicion of the theft of a New Holland tractor in the Thames Valley.
He is being held in custody in Milton Keynes and is waiting for officers from Leicestershire to process him, the Thames Valley Police (TVP) rural crime taskforce said in a Facebook post yesterday (Tuesday, January 25).
The Leicestershire and Rutland rural policing team made it aware of the stolen tractor on its territory, the taskforce added.
Following the information, officers from the TVP rural crime taskforce attended the suspected location of the stolen vehicle – in the Longwick area – and located the tractor.
Rural crime
Meanwhile, three men have appeared in court in recent days following a warrant carried out by Dorset Police’s rural crime team.
The rural crime team’s officers were supported by officers from Hampshire Constabularly in the carrying out of a warrant at an address in Bransgore, Hampshire, in October 2022, as part of an investigation into allegations of cruelty to deer and hares.
The team said yesterday (Tuesday, January 24) that one of the men, a 23-year-old, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Friday (January 20).
The man pleaded guilty to:
- Seven counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal;
- Three counts of criminal damage;
- Handling stolen goods;
- Using a motor vehicle on a road or public place without third party insurance;
- Driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
The man is due to be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on February 17, 2023.
In relation to this incident, a 25-year-old man was issued with a postal requisition and appeared at court pleading guilty to three counts of criminal damage.
The man, who is from Bournemouth, is due to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on February 16, 2023.
A third man, from Sway in Hampshire, was also issued with a postal requisition to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court for an offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The 28-year-old man is expected to appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on February 17, 2023.
