Pair in King’s Lynn court after stealing more than £10,000 worth of farming equipment in Southery

Magistrates decided that their sentencing powers were not sufficient enough to punish a duo who stole more than £10,000 worth of farming equipment.

Both Rachael Newman, 29, and Steven Huarns, 47, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where they both pleaded guilty to several offences.

They both admitted three counts of theft by finding and three counts of criminal damage, after they broke padlocks and stole equipment from a site in Southery.

Huarns also admitted having cannabis in his possession – which was discovered while he was being arrested.

Prosecutor Holly Postle said that the first theft took place on December 6, 2023, when Newman and Huarns broke a padlock off a gate leading to where the machinery is kept.

They took a total of 15 Cambridge Roll Rings, with a total value of £1,500.

After the incident, the property owner installed CCTV footage, which captured the pair committing the same offence on December 15, when they broke another padlock.

This time, they stole £4,200 worth of the rings.

Three days later, they returned and committed the same offence, breaking a padlock and stealing £4,500 worth of Cambridge Roll Rings.

Police identified the pair and visited them at their property on Wellington Street in Littleport on December 21 and arrested them. This is when officers found 0.8g of cannabis in Haurn’s possession.

Newman is a woman of previous good character with no offences on her record. However, Haurns has a total of 89 offences on his record.

Ms Postle said a sentencing starting point for these offences would be two years’ imprisonment which is beyond magistrates’ sentencing powers, they can only impose imprisonment for 12 months.

Both have been sent for sentencing at Norwich Crown Court on March 18 and have been released on conditional bail with orders not to return to the farm they stole from.