by Holly Tribe
A father and son have been charged after towing away a stolen caravan in Cumbria.
According to the Whitehaven News, the tourer belonging to Nicky Little was stolen just two days after Mr Little had purchased it at auction. It was parked on an area of wasteland near Whitehaven when Stevie Boswell, 27, hitched it up to his van and drove away.
Mr Boswell made enquiries with two local residents about its ownership and assumed the vehicle had been abandoned. He then transported it back to Egremont where he was working at a Crab Fair with his father last Septeber.
Abandoned
When questioned about the theft, Mr Boswell claimed he wasn’t aware the caravan belonged to anyone. He told a trial at Whitehaven Magistrates Court last week: “I am not a thief. People told me it had been left and I assumed it had been abandoned as it had no licence plates, the door was open and it was in poor condition.”
Local resident, Susan Clarke, spoke to Stevie Boswell about the caravan was concerned about his line of questioning and made a note of Boswell’s number plate. She passed on the information to Mr Little once it had become apparent the caravan had been stolen.
His father, Thomas a fairground worker of 25 years was also arrested for handling stolen goods., He initially stated that he had bought the caravan from two men for £300, giving officers a description of the men. He later admitted this was not true and he had lied to protect his son.
Despite pleading not guilty, they have both been fined £350, plus £150 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. When passing sentence on the Boswells, Magistrates said they found the explanation of events “implausible” and told Stevie Boswell “nothing Miss Clarke said justified you coming to the conclusion that the owner no longer wanted the caravan.”
