Two men from Bishop Auckland targeted a Teesdale farm to steal a quad bike; one faces jail, the other probation.
Mr. Dalton wanted to see inside the van, but the two men asked him to move his car. They eventually opened the van, revealing a stolen Suzuki quad bike. The quad bike was recovered, and the trespassers sped away in the van. The Daltons told local farmers about the van, and a neighbor tried to find it nearby.
The neighbor saw the DPD van speeding, and a silver BMW then blocked the neighbor’s car. Police chased the BMW and it stopped. Anthony Etherington, the driver, was arrested, and a second man was also arrested. Andrew Ballan was linked to the van as the insured driver.
Ballan was arrested near the DPD van and said he provided the van, claiming he stayed inside it. However, messages implied planning before the burglary. Etherington messaged Ballan to “get this thing tonight,” and another message urged Ballan to charge the van, as they planned to “make dollar tonight.”
Mrs. Dalton said she felt “shaken up” by the burglary, and was scared the trespassers might return. She feared for her husband’s safety during it. Etherington, 34, and Ballan, 41, initially denied burglary, but later, Etherington admitted his guilt, and Ballan then also pleaded guilty.
Etherington had 22 convictions, including theft and robbery, while Ballan had four convictions from 2007, including burglary. The prosecution stated there was planning, as they knew about the quad bike, a van transported it, a car blocked pursuers, plus there was a confrontation. The prosecution added that the DPD van was returned. Lawyers debated the crime’s classification, and Ballan’s lawyer said he had a job and could change.
Judge Jo Kidd called the crime “targeted, planned and organised,” noting the Daltons lived remotely and were vulnerable as a result. The judge said the Daltons worked hard, but their location made them targets. Finding three men must have been terrifying for Mrs. Dalton.
Judge Kidd knew Ballan did not talk to the Daltons, while Etherington delayed those following the van. The evidence against Ballan was “very strong”. Judge Kidd said Etherington targeted elderly people before and was a high risk to re-offend, as his drug use played a role.
The judge gave Etherington 28 months in prison, reduced for his guilty plea; Ballan had a smaller role and fewer convictions. Ballan had been out of trouble and had a job. The judge suspended Ballan’s 16-month sentence for two years, and he had to do rehabilitation, and monitoring. Judge Kidd warned Ballan prison would await any breaches of the rules. He also had to pay prosecution costs of £1,631 due starting February 28, and a £187 court surcharge as well.