Raids near Harrogate - Video shows police catching burglars hiding up a tree
Three “professional” thieves have been jailed following a quick-fire series of raids on farmsteads near Harrogate in which thousands of pounds’ worth of tools and other items were stolen.
The masked gang - travelling in a “pick-up-type” 4x4 said to have been stolen - targeted isolated properties on a “burglary expedition” in the tiny hamlet of Plompton where they broke into outbuildings and bagged more than £2,000 of loot.
At least one of the victims spotted the raiders circling his property in balaclavas in the dead of night, York Crown Court heard. They then sped off, sparking a chase involving the police helicopter and dog unit.
Prosecutor Rob Galley said the 4x4 went off-road during the pursuit and the three men - Abraham Fox, 28, William Lowther, 48, and 29-year-old Ross Sutcliffe, all from Bradford - ran off into a field.
Officers unleashed police dog ‘Bobby’ who sniffed out Lowther hiding under a footbridge below the A1. Fox and Sutcliffe were found hiding up a tree. They were both shoeless after discarding their boots nearby.
They were arrested and each charged with three counts of burglary and one of aggravated vehicle-taking. They each admitted all the burglary offences, which occurred on January 15, but denied taking the vehicle, which was said to have been stolen in November last year.
The prosecution accepted their pleas and the three men appeared for sentence on the burglary charges on Friday. Mr Galley said the masked gang had targeted isolated properties looking for rich pickings including steel saws and long bolt croppers.
One of the named victims said she and her husband were woken by their dog barking in the early hours and found their garage and barn had been broken into. The raiders had stolen over £2,000 of items including ski boots worth £1,500, a high-pressure washer, a petrol strimmer and even a disco ball.
