Bridlington man given suspended sentence following 40 vehicle crime spree
Two men have been given suspended jail sentences after stealing or attempting to steal from over 40 vehicles across North Yorkshire during a four-month-long thieving blitz.
Jason Hepworth, 46, from Bridlington, and Andrew Johnson, 42, targeted dozens of vehicles in at least seven towns and villages including Whitby, Malton and Pickering, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Nathan Davis said that between August and December 2023, about 40 people fell victim to their “determined” theft campaign in which they either broke into vehicles or tried unsuccessfully to break in after trying door handles.
In one incident, the thieves stole £400 of tools from a man’s work van in Malton. In other instances, they stole cash, loose change, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and a woman’s house keys.
Mr Davis said that Johnson and Hepworth were operating under the cover of darkness and “numerous” reports of thefts were often made to police in the space of a single night.
Mr Davis said that during the four-month period, there were 44 thefts or attempted thefts reported to police.
Most of the goods stolen were of a “relatively low value”.
Hepworth, of Lansdowne Road, Bridlington, and Johnson, of Thornton Road, Bradford, were each charged with conspiracy to steal and ultimately admitted the offence.
They appeared for sentence on Tuesday, August 25.
Prosecuting barrister Mr Davis outlined their long criminal records which in Johnson’s case comprised 54 previous offences including theft and “numerous” convictions for vehicle interference.
Hepworth had 77 previous offences on his record, about half of which were thefts.
Defence barrister Matthew Harding said that Johnson’s drug use at the time had led to a life of crime but now, three years on, he was in employment again and was the main breadwinner for his family.
Graham Parkin, for Hepworth, said that his client had drug and alcohol problems at the time but had since turned his life around.
Judge Simon Hickey told the defendants that the theft conspiracy was “obviously planned because you had a motor car and travelled to a number of different villages in Yorkshire and you targeted a great number of people and their cars on the street, or on the drive, or parked very close by.”
He said, however, that he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence in both their cases because they appeared to have turned their lives around in the three years since the offences.
Johnson and Hepworth were each handed a 20-month prison sentence, but this was suspended for 18 months.
As part of that sentence, Johnson was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and Hepworth was ordered to complete a six-month alcohol-treatment programme and rehabilitation activity.