Man told to pay £300k over machinery stolen from Somerset farms

A man who handled stolen agricultural machinery has been ordered to pay thousands of pounds to the farmers the equipment belonged to.

Harry Hollowell, 27, of Jellicoe Road in Yeovil, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on 8 October for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison in December 2023.

At the latest hearing, Hollowell was ordered to pay a little more than £309,000, of which almost £54,000 will be paid to seven victims who did not have their stolen equipment returned to them.

The remaining money will be invested into the criminal justice system.

Avon and Somerset police officers discovered and seized 20 stolen machines at a farm in South Barrow, near Sparkford in Somerset, in October 2020. Further equipment was then recovered during a subsequent investigation.

The court heard Hollowell had purchased farm machinery that had been stolen during farm burglaries in the Sedgemoor area of West Somerset throughout 2020.

The investigation also found that, with another defendant, Hollowell bought and sold stolen plant equipment taken from building sites in Cardiff in 2020.

Ch Insp Joe Piscina, the force’s rural crime lead, said: “The theft of plant and agricultural machinery and tools has a detrimental impact on the farming community, who already work tirelessly to provide for our communities.

“Hollowell’s actions cost the victims thousands of pounds in time and materials and it is brilliant that those victims will receive some compensation for their suffering.”

Det Ch Insp Carlos Filippsen, from the financial investigations unit, added: “I would like to recognise the impact that these thefts have had on the victims and thank them for their strength and patience in supporting us with this process.

“While it will not fix what happened, I hope receiving this compensation will go some ways to helping them recover from what happened.”