Operation Randall

Daniel Lingham Sentencing Results

An egg collector who illegally hoarded thousands of wild birds’ eggs has today been sentenced.

Daniel Lingham, 71, of Newton St Faith, Norfolk, was captured on a wildlife trap camera on 9 June 2023 stealing two eggs from a Nightjar nest in Holt Lowes.

A subsequent search of his home revealed he had amassed 2995 eggs most of which (2429) were protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Of those 548 were from native birds on the amber list of birds of conservation concern and a further 546 were of the most serious concern on the red list including Linnet, Green Finch, Yellowhammer, House Sparrow and many more.

A further collection of eggs - which looked much newer - was found behind the bath panel including a box containing a pair of Nightjar eggs with a label ‘Nightjar 2, Holt Lowes June 9.’

Officers also found identifying books, binoculars, and an egg blowing kit.

Lingham admitted to five offences at an earlier hearing in February.

Appearing for sentencing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday 3 May he was handed 12 week jail sentences for the taking of wild bird eggs and for two counts of possessing wild bird eggs, eight weeks for possession of equipment, and 12 weeks for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.

All were suspended for 18 months to run concurrently.

He was also handed a 12 month mental health requirement, 15 rehabilitation days, and ordered to pay £482 in costs, compensation and victim surcharge.

Lingham had previously been convicted of similar offences in 2005 and 2018 and still has four years of a ten year Criminal Behaviour Order left to run.

PC Chris Shelley from the Op Randall Rural Crime Team said: “It is disappointing that we were here again for a third time with Lingham again having taken whole clutches of eggs for his personal collection and having a huge negative impact on local wild bird populations.

“Having today been sentenced we hope this is an opportunity for him to reflect on his behaviour and get the help he needs to end his illegal egg collecting

“Although the hobby has largely fallen out of favour we remain alive to the risks and ask the public to be alert too under Operation Owl, a national initiative that asks the public to be our eyes and ears out in the countryside to tackle the taking of wild bird eggs.

“In the UK all wild birds, their nests, and their eggs are protected by law and if you see any suspicious activity please call Norfolk Police on 101.”

Tom Grose, RSPB Investigations Officer said: “It's clear Lingham has a blatant disregard for nature and the law, targeting species on the brink regionally.

"It was hoped that the behaviour order, issued in 2018, with its additional tougher penalties would have seen an end to Lingham's offending but sadly that hasn't happened.”

Tool Thefts, Secure Your Tools and Sheds NOW!

We have seen a number of thefts from units, sheds and similar in the last few weeks. The west has been particularly hard hit but nobody should be complacent.

Please make an effort to take prevention action now, a few minutes may prevent a lot of time reporting the crime to us and heading out to replace the item.

First thing to look at, have you marked your value items? Simply mark them with permanent marker (postcode/surname) or use an engraving tool. The other option is to use a forensic marking kit.

Do you know the serial numbers? Keep a small notepad with your serial numbers or unique identifying marks that should the worse happen it can be given to the police and then loaded onto national computer systems.

Make it noisy! Can you install audible alarm or padlock? Chain all your high value items together like chainsaws and similar. It makes it frustrating and noisy. Gravel drives can also help.

Remove, remove, remove! Can you remove a battery or blade and store it separately?

Use of trackers – there are some very affordable tracking solutions out there now which are much smaller than ever before. These trackers can be installed in some very clever positions, and we have seen some success’s recently especially around generators.

Motion sensor alarms and lights – lights which are triggered by movement can be very effective as can motion sensor alarms (often called PIR alarms). They ultimately work on an invisible laser line being broken which sets the alarm off.

Signs – notify people you are taking action to protect your property ‘CCTV in action’ ‘Guard dogs present’ ‘Dogs loose’ etc.

CCTV/Ring doorbells – another solution that is becoming more affordable however remember most of these systems are only useful in POSSIBLY identifying individuals involved rather than preventing the theft in the first place

Challenge and record visitors – genuine visitors to farms and properties will be more than happy to identify themselves and explain why they’re present. Always remain polite and avoid confrontation. If you can take photos or record number plates of vehicles that people arrive in.

Always store firearms, shotguns and air weapons appropriately – too often we visit licence holders who have got complacent storing weapons incorrectly, leaving them in vehicles, storing ammunition incorrectly. Please follow the law and store firearms appropriately and ammunition separately too.

ASB in Churches

Sadly, this month has seen several crimes involving our churches. These buildings obviously have a huge amount of history within them, and they are hugely important to local communities. We have seen unnecessary damage caused within the buildings and within their grounds with windows that are almost impossible to replace to same standard and other minor issues.

These are all ultimately not acceptable. A couple of arrests have been made around these in the Yarmouth area. I would encourage anyone with information or witness to any such incidents contacts us immediately.

Traffic and water safety advice ahead of Walsingham pilgrimage

Walsingham’s first bi-annual Tamil pilgrimage takes place on Sunday (5 May 2024) and police will be on hand to provide reassurance, advice, and support.

Thousands are set to head to the village from all over the country, and road users are reminded there is likely to be heavy traffic as people travel to and from the shrine, and head to local beaches.

Routes to the pilgrimage will be clearly marked, with congestion likely on roads into Walsingham along the A1065 and A148 towards Fakenham, and the B1105 towards Wells-next-the-Sea.

Anyone not attending the pilgrimage is advised to avoid the area and find alternative routes.

For safety purposes people are also being asked to be mindful of tide times, with the high tide on Wells beach on Sunday expected to be at approximately 4:50pm.

Hundreds of leaflets have been printed in conjunction with the Wells RNLI Water Safety Manager containing written warnings about beach safety and the tides in Tamil. The advice is that people stay well away from any channels or creeks that could fill with water behind them up to four hours before high tide hits.

Beachgoers should return to the main beach before 12.50pm. A siren will sound around four hours before high tide as a reminder.

Inspector James Makepeace said: “Every year we work with a variety of agencies and organisers in the run-up to the pilgrimage, where we’ll also have a visible presence, working to keep people safe.

“We are expecting thousands of people in Walsingham for what is one of the highlights in the Tamil community’s calendar, and we ask that people follow the guidance around traffic and water safety so that this year’s events offer a safe and enjoyable experience for all.”