Somerset men found with 20 pieces of stolen farm machinery

Two Somerset men have been sentenced after they were found with 20 pieces of stolen farm machinery.

25-year-old Harry Hollowell of Jellicoe Road, Yeovil, and 23-year-old Vincent Bruce of Bearley Lane, Tintinhull, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

Hollowell was sentenced to three years and 2 months imprisonment and Bruce for one year and four months. Bruce had his sentence suspended for two years.

Officers of Avon and Somerset Police’s Operation Remedy team carried out a stolen goods warrant search at a farm in South Barrow, near Sparkford, in October 2020.

Here the team discovered and seized 20 stolen machines, with further machines since recovered throughout the investigation.

Hollowell and Bruce had been purchasing farm machinery stolen from farm burglaries in the Sedgemoor area of West Somerset throughout 2020, police said.

They also bought and sold stolen plant machinery which had been taken from building sites in the Cardiff area in 2020.

‘Significant financial losses’

Avon and Somerset Police said the thefts carried out by Hollowell and Bruce caused “significant financial losses” to many farmers, landowners and small businesses.

In sentencing, HHJ McMillan said Hollowell had “played the leading role in a professional and sophisticated enterprise” and he had profited from the loss and stress of people who were “almost like neighbours”.

A third man, 43-year-old Piotr Szor from Reading, was also sentenced at the same time as Hollowell and Bruce after pleading guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods for an unrelated incident.

The court heard how in October 2020, a tractor and telehandler worth around £80,000 were stolen from a farm burglary in East Somerset.

Szor had organised for the machinery to be loaded onto a lorry bound for Poland, but officers intercepted the lorry, recovered the machinery and then arrested Szor for his involvement.

Szor was sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended for two years.

‘Detrimental impact’

Following the sentencing of the three men, detective superintendent James Raphael said: “The theft of plant and agricultural machinery and tools have a detrimental impact on the farming community who work tirelessly to provide for our communities.

“The needless acts of Hollowell, Bruce and Szor has cost the victims hundreds of thousands of pounds in both materials and time.

“We are dedicated to supporting our rural communities and this case is a great example of the work carried out by our Operation Remedy and Rural Affairs Unit, working in collaboration with our vehicle examiners.

“We hope it is reassuring to people in the rural community that action is being taken against criminals who steal the livelihoods of others.”

Avon and Somerset Police said the theft of agriculture plant and machinery is an ever-growing issue across the UK.

Police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford said: “This case serves as a stern reminder of the scale of rural crime, which is why as police and crime commissioner, combating rural crime is one of my top priorities.  

“These criminal activities have financial, time, and emotional impacts on the farming community who work tirelessly to provide for our communities. 

“I applaud the work done by Operation Remedy team in bringing these prolific offenders to justice and I encourage anyone affected by farm machinery theft to report it to the police.”

Avon and Somerset Police urged anyone with equipment to get them marked, securely stored, and have CCTV installed in areas where tools and machinery is stored.