Jail for men who targeted farms in Uttlesford and across Essex, stealing £380,000 of GPS and other equipment
Two men have been jailed after global positioning systems (GPS) and other technical equipment worth £380,000 was stolen from 13 farms and country estates across Essex, including Uttlesford.
Aidas Cesna, 28, and Gintaras Jankauskas, 30, admitted conspiring to steal equipment from agricultural vehicles across the county between September 28 and October 27 in 2021.
Jankauskas was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday (Nov 15) to three years and 10 months in prison. The court also made a deprivation order for his car and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Cesna was jailed for three years in July at Chester Crown Court for the same offence. He received a further 18-month term for committing a burglary, two thefts and theft from a motor vehicle on farms and estates in Cheshire in February.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that through technical analysis, police were able to place Cesna and Jankauskas at the scenes of 14 thefts of technical equipment from combine harvesters, tractors and sprayers across Essex.
Equipment stolen included GPS, navigation systems and satellite receivers, computer screens and control boxes.
PC Samantha Smith, of Essex Police's rural engagement team, said: “Theft of GPS equipment hits 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.
“So, thefts can cause significant harm and disruption to farm businesses, particularly in the autumn, when delays can prove extremely costly for farmers bringing in their harvest.”
Ashley Petchey, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Cesna and Jankauskas carried out a spree of thefts and took more than £350,000 worth of equipment over a few days.
“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.”
