Three men jailed for stealing farming machinery in Somerset

Thee men - Vincent Bruce, Harry Hollowell and Piotr Szor - were jailed

Three men have been jailed after stealing farming machinery.

Vincent Bruce, 23, of Bearley Lane in Tintinhull, Harry Hollowell, 25, of Jellicoe Road in Yeovil, and Piotr Szor, 43, from Reading, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 22 December.

All of the men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford said their actions have "financial, time and emotional impacts" on the farming community.

In October 2020, officers seized 20 stolen machines after carrying out a stolen goods search warrant at a farm in South Barrow, near Sparkford. Further machines have since been recovered throughout the investigation, police said.

Throughout 2020, Bruce and Hollowell had purchased farm machinery stolen from farm burglaries in the Sedgemoor area and also bought and sold stolen plant machinery which had been taken from building sites in Cardiff.

Bruce was given a two year suspended sentence of one year and four months in prison.

Hollowell was sentenced to three years and two months in prison.

'Detrimental impact'

Szor was given a two year suspended sentence of one year in prison for another incident, where he had organised for a tractor and telehandler worth about £80,000 to be transported to Poland.

Officers intercepted the lorry, recovered the machinery and arrested Szor for his involvement.

Following the sentencing, Det Supt 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."