Two men who stole more than 350,000 worth of farm equipment from 13 farms have been jailed for almost seven years.
Aidas Cesna, 28, and Gintaras Jankauskas, 30, admitted conspiring to steal GPS and other equipment from agricultural vehicles at 13 farms and estates across Essex during a month-long crime spree in 2021.
A prison sentence of three years and 10 months was handed down to Jankauskas at Chelmsford Crown Court while Cesna, who was tried at Chester Crown Court in July, was jailed for three years. He was also sentenced for a further one year and six months for committing a burglary, two thefts and theft from a motor vehicle on farms and estates in Cheshire between February 10 to 14 this year.
Barrister Ashley Petchey, acting for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Cesna and Jankauskas had carried out a spree of thefts that were particularly damaging to farming businesses.
He said: Thefts like these have been terrorising rural communities up and down the country, causing a huge financial loss to hard-working farmers.
Equipment is not straightforward to replace and, often, machines are heavily damaged in the process, leaving farmers without the essential tools they need to do their job. In the face of the evidence collected by Cheshire Police and Essex Police, they pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that, through technical analysis, officers were able to place both Cesna and Jankauskas at the scene of 14 thefts of technical equipment from combine harvesters, tractors and sprayers across Essex. Equipment stolen included GPS equipment, navigation systems and satellite receivers, computer screens and control boxes.
Essex Rural Engagement Team member PC Samantha Smith said: Theft of GPS equipment hits our farmers hard.Global positioning systems are a critical part of modern farming and cost thousands of pounds to replace. Then there are the additional costs and time out of operation required to repair the damage caused by thieves.
Earlier this year insurer NFU Mutual warned all farmers to be more vigilant after figures revealed that the national cost of claims for GPS theft almost doubled in 2020 to 2.9m.
