Two men have been jailed after £23,000 worth of equipment was stolen from outbuildings at Wollaton Hall and Park.
Thieves cut through a padlocked gate at the parkland at approximately 9pm on 1 October before driving towards the rangers’ office in a white transit van.
Nottingham Crown Court heard they broke the lock to another gate in order to access a storage yard, where they broke into containers and stole vast amounts of equipment.
Among the stolen items were power tools, small plant machinery, a Kubota off-road vehicle and trailer.
Thieves used a white van (left) to steal items including a Kubota off-road vehicle and trailer (right)
Police were alerted by a member of the public who spotted the van leaving the park without its lights on and heading out of gates that appeared to have been tampered with.
The court heard the Kubota off-road vehicle had been loaded onto the trailer, which was then towed away by the van.
Officers located the van and stolen haul on the M1 northbound a short time later and arrested its two occupants – Lee Pressley and Paul Lomas.
Lomas had been driving the van without a licence or insurance, while Pressley was in the passenger seat and had in his possession a quantity of the synthetic drug known as spice.
The court heard both men had previous convictions for acquisitive crime and that they would steal to fund their drug addictions.
Pressley, 54, of Queen Street, Worksop, pleaded guilty to burglary, possession of criminal property and possession of a Class B drug and was jailed for nine months.
Lomas, aged 38, of no fixed address, denied being present at the burglary and that count was left to lie on file. He admitted possession of criminal property and driving with a licence and insurance – with the court hearing he committed the offences while subject to a suspended sentence for shop theft and drug offences. He was subsequently jailed for 12 months.
Lee Pressley (left) and Paul Lomas
Following the sentencing, PC Jessie Knott, who led the investigation, said:
“Wollaton Hall and Park is a popular tourist destination enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every year.
“The equipment stolen was vital to maintaining its 500 acres of parkland and that makes this a truly disgraceful crime.
“Pressley and Lomas both have lengthy criminal records and I am pleased they have received custodial sentences for the roles they played.
“A quick response makes all the difference in cases like this and we are extremely grateful to the member of the public who acted quickly to report their concerns, which ultimately helped our officers to respond to this incident as quickly as they did.
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“Burglary is an extremely upsetting and invasive crime and that is why we treat all reports seriously and work relentlessly to catch offenders and put them before the courts.”
