'Shropshire farmers can now breathe a big sigh of relief': Farmers welcome sentencing for rural crime gang
The NFU has welcomed the sentencing of members of an organised crime group who targeted Shropshire and Welsh farms, stealing property worth millions during a prolonged crime spree.
Seven men were handed jail sentences at Shrewsbury Crown Court this week for their involvement in conspiracies where nearly £6 million of tractors, Land Rovers, quad bikes and more were stolen.
More than 120 thefts or attempts were made across Shropshire and North Wales between 2022 and 2024 in a spate of crime “on an unprecedented scale”, a court heard.
Ringleader Wayne Price and co-conspirators Andrew Baker, Thomas Nutt, Ryan Taylor, Neil Shevlin, Christopher Downes and Dean Rogerson were sentenced to a combined total of 25 years and five months behind bars.
Members of Shropshire's rural and farming community, who played an important role in helping police with the operation, have welcomed the news.
They include Much Wenlock cereal crops and livestock farmer Andrew Craig, who had two tractors, a hedge cutter and a diesel bowser stolen in August 2023.
The Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock NFU branch member said: "All of our stolen kit was recovered within a three-mile radius of the farm and that was thanks in the main due to our farmer WhatsApp group, local vigilance and people knowing the lie of the land.
“We have a good relationship with the police and they were on the ball, they have a good team and were on it straightaway, gathering evidence.
“The kit was stolen during harvest, so it had a real impact on the business, and one of our tractors had £8,000 or £9,000 worth of damage that needed repairing so it was really disruptive at a peak time for us.
“Shropshire farmers may now be able to breathe a big sigh of relief and I hope the sentencing acts as a deterrent to others but rural crime will remain an issue.”
Richard Yates, who farms near Bridgnorth, welcomed the sentences handed down and said the farming community had played a vital role helping the police bring the group to justice.
He said: “We are pleased to see this gang of criminals sentenced because as a farming and rural community we have been plagued for several years and it has been very worrying for those living in isolated rural communities.
“This is a good result and my thanks to farmers and their staff for working together and feeding that information into the police.
“Our farming network and that collaboration has been vital and we have even been able to recover some stolen machinery ourselves, informing each other of incidents and helping to gather intelligence for officers.
“This type of crime and others have a serious emotional impact on farming families as well as disrupting businesses and our ability to produce food.”
Kate Mayne, NFU Shropshire chair who farms near Shrewsbury, said: “This is a real result, sending a strong message to those targeting rural businesses and the countryside.
“Farmers talking to each other, working with the police, reporting incidents and suspicious people and vehicles remains essential.
“The NFU has championed for stronger protections for farmers, from the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act and hare coursing reforms to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill, which is going through the Lords now - but the threat remains very real.
“When farmers, police, local authorities and government work together, we see real progress, from targeted enforcement to better support for victims.
“This joined-up approach must be scaled nationally to tackle rural crime head-on.”
