Man fined for buying stolen tractors
30th January 2026
The defendant appeared in front of Norwich Magistrates Court for knowingly buying a stolen compact John Deere tractor and an Avant tractor and trailer.
Steve Rodwell, 60, bought the tractors after responding to an online advert that boasted that anti-theft trackers had been removed, according to local media reports.
He appeared in court on 27th January and pleaded guilty to the offences. The tractors belonged to rural contractors Gurney & Reeve.
Thetford and Brandon Times reported that Rodwell admitted to having a reputation as a “wheeler-dealer” – paying £10,000 for the tractors but hoping to sell them for close to £50,000.
He was reportedly arrested after his details were found on the phone of a suspect involved in commercial burglaries – Rodwell was fined £3,916 and ordered to pay costs of £1,676.
Michael Cole, mitigating, is quoted by the Thetford and Brandon Times as saying: “After a conversation in a local pub he succumbed to an offer he knew meant it must be of dubious provenance.”
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