Two jailed for rural crime spree

Two men have been jailed for conspiracy to steal in connection with several theft offences committed across the South of England.

The pair were arrested in February 2024 following a proactive investigation led by Hertfordshire’s Specialist Investigations Team, assisted by numerous police forces including Sussex Police’s CID unit, into a series of thefts of vehicles and tools from farms and other rural locations across Sussex, Norfolk, Devon, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire.

Their spree primarily targeted rural areas between November 2023 and January 2024, during which they committed eight theft offences, including the theft of three vehicles and property worth more than £44,000.

Bill Harber (right), aged 22 and Joseph Brazil (left), aged 19, both from Holwell Place, Essendon, were remanded into custody following their arrest and subsequently appeared at St Albans Crown Court on the 14 June 2024. The pair were each sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Incidents at rural properties in Rye and Bodiam in November 2023 were among the offences they were convicted of.

Detective Constable George Lewin, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Specialist Investigations Team, said: “Harber and Brazil went on a prolific crime spree, targeting remote rural locations and stealing vehicles, tools and equipment worth thousands of pounds. Their offences had a serious effect on the lives and businesses of dozens of people, especially in rural communities, not to mention the resources required to run investigations across several police forces. Investigating rural crime is particularly difficult and I’d like to thank the victims and our partners, particularly Sussex Police, for the excellent support provided in bringing these offenders to justice”.

Sergeant Carlo Leone, formerly of the Sussex Police’s Rural Crime Team, said: “The impact of thefts and burglaries from farms and rural properties cannot be underestimated. These are hard-working people who are already facing significant financial struggles with soaring production costs. The theft of tools, machinery or equipment that is necessary for carrying out their work could be the difference between staying afloat or losing their business and home.

“There is also the hidden impact - ultimately it affects the price of food on our tables. Sussex Police recognises these issues and utilises both their dedicated Rural Crime Team and Neighbourhood Policing Teams to engage with the rural community, make real relationships, develop intelligence and offer reassurance patrols for people who often feel isolated and vulnerable. Our Rural Crime Team in particular is constantly patrolling the countryside proactively stopping suspicious people and vehicles, and developing excellent working partnerships with other forces, partner agencies and community groups to ensure that we as police know what is going on in the countryside.

“This knowledge is constantly utilised by ourselves and our partners - on this occasion Herts Constabulary – to great effect. All of this proactive action ultimately makes Sussex a very hostile place to operate, and those thinking of coming to rural Sussex to commit crime should be under no illusions that our ability to identify suspects and capture them no matter where they are in the country is alive and real.”