Farmer and horse breeder, Arwyn Jervis Jones, 54, of Y Fferm, Pont Robert, Meifod, Powys appeared at Caernarvon Crown Court on Monday 9th July in a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation hearing.
Jones’ court appearance followed his conviction in March this year at Mold Crown Court when he pleaded guilty to two offences of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.
In May 2005, Dyfed Powys Police Officers executed a search warrant and recovered two stolen Mini Diggers from Jones’ home at Y Fferm, Pont Robert. Both items of machinery involved, a JCB and a Takeuchi digger, had been stolen from addresses in Skelmersthorpe, Yorkshire and Basildon, Essex during 2004. Jones had initially claimed to Police, that he had bought the items in good faith from unidentified persons in exchange for cash and horses but subsequently pleaded guilty to receiving the items knowing or believing them to be stolen.
Following a financial investigation by Wales RART, Jones’ was brought back to Court at Caernarvon for the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at which his criminal benefit was established as £23,900. Jones was ordered to pay this amount within 6 months and if he fails to do so, he faces a default prison sentence of 13 months.
Wales RART Operational Team Leader, Alan Brown said:
Through Confiscation Orders, such as that imposed on Arwyn Jones yesterday at Caernarvon, the Courts are reinforcing the message that criminals will not be allowed to profit from their crimes. The motivation for engaging in crime of this nature is invariably financial gain and our aim is to remove that incentive from the criminal. The £23,900, when paid by Arwyn Jones, will be ‘recycled’ through the Home Office incentivisation scheme and will generate additional funding to Dyfed Powys Police to tackle other criminality.