Professional North Cowton thief back behind bars after fleeing to Lancashire

Brian Thexton.

A professional thief is back behind bars after stockpiling an array of crime-related items at a secret hide-out and breaching a court order designed to help police keep track of him.

Brian Thexton, 49, from North Cowton, was supposed to notify police of any change of address as part of a serious criminal behaviour order (CBO), York Crown Court heard.

But the criminal had other plans and moved to a house in Accrington, Lancashire, without notifying the authorities and while retaining his home in North Yorkshire as his registered address.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke said that when police swooped on the “hide-away” in Accrington in March, they found a plethora of items which could be used for criminality, specifically vehicle theft, including black clothing, charging cables, four registration plates, an anti-theft terminator, a blank-car-key programming device, power tools, a torch, two Euro lock keys normally used to secure and unlock UPVC doors, five universal plant-machinery keys for vehicles such as JCBs and diggers, and two universal car keys.

Police also found three electronic tablets, a collapsible ladder, a fire extinguisher, balaclavas and two crowbars.

The criminal behaviour order, which was made at Preston Crown Court in 2020 and was due to expire in 2028, stipulated that Thexton must notify police of any change of address and mustn’t have more than one mobile phone or over £500 cash on his person. It was also incumbent on him to notify police if he owned a vehicle.

Ms Clarke said that on March 20, a police officer in Accrington was on the lookout for Thexton who was wanted by the Lancashire Constabulary.

Thexton was spotted in the town’s Water Street outside his hideaway and was seen to place something in a Ford Focus.

“He went into a house and the officer followed him in,” added Ms Clarke.

Thexton was arrested and, on being searched by the officer, was found to have £1,350 cash on him, way above the £500 limit as stipulated by the court order. He also had two mobiles and two Ford keys in breach of the order.

“He was further in breach by not living at his registered address (in North Cowton),” said Ms Clarke.

“The landlady (of the North Yorkshire property) said she had rented the property to him in February 2024. The rent had been paid for in cash.”

Thexton moved out of that property in February this year and flitted to Lancashire. Police turned up at the North Cowton property but found only two dogs outside.

Thexton became a wanted man yet again and the manhunt switched to Lancashire where the crime-related equipment was found in the hide-out.

Ms Clarke said the Ford Focus used by Thexton in Lancashire had been reported stolen in Bolton two weeks before the police search of the house in Accrington.

Thexton was brought in for questioning after the search but claimed he had been “dropped off at the house by a friend” whom he wouldn’t name and that he didn’t own any of the items found at the property.

He was charged with five counts of breaching a CBO and ultimately admitted three of them. He also admitted possessing items which could be used for theft of a motor vehicle, which was tantamount to going equipped for burglary or theft.

He appeared for sentence via video link today (May 29) after being remanded in prison.

Ms Clarke said that Thexton, of Station Road, North Cowton, had a long criminal record dating back to the mid-1990s which included offences of handling and receiving stolen goods, going equipped, conspiring to steal vehicles, conspiracy to burgle and acquire criminal property, conspiracy to rob and supplying Class A drugs.

Over the past three decades, he had served at least six jail sentences totalling 27 years.

Defence barrister Robert Mochrie said Thexton had been on prison licence during his latest offences and been recalled to serve the remainder of his last jail sentence since being arrested in Lancashire.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, branded Thexton a “professional thief” and told him: “You have been before the courts time and time again for very serious acquisitive crime.

“What happened here is you have found yourself a hideaway unknown to the police. You hadn’t registered this property and not surprisingly, given what was found in this hideaway (namely) items for the use of very sophisticated and serious crime.”

He said that although there were no proven crimes or thefts committed by Thexton with the items found at the property in Lancashire, “certainly there appears to be a lot of money that has come from somewhere, but we don’t know where it’s from”.

Thexton was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

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