Police track £12,500 tool thief thanks to GPS monitoring tag

Two men have been sentenced for a series of thefts of tools estimated to be valued at over £12,500 from vans across Carmarthenshire and Powys.

Aston Amos, aged 35, from Bewdley in Worcestershire, and Robbie Bate, aged 27, from Stourport on Severn in Worcestershire, both admitted to stealing tools from five vehicles overnight on July 16 and 23, 2025.

Dyfed-Powys Police received reports of the first two thefts in Brecon and Builth Wells on July 17, followed by reports from Newcastle Emlyn and Llandysul on July 24.

In each of the thefts, vans had been targeted with tools stolen. The total value of the items taken is estimated to be £12,5000, with the loss of these tools and damage to three of the vans also impacting the owners’ ability to work.

Enquiries by Dyfed-Powys Police established that the same vehicle had been seen in each area at the times the thefts were reported to happen. As the investigation developed, it was discovered that Robbie Bate – the partner of the car’s registered owner – had also checked into a hotel in St Clears on July 23, giving the registration number of this vehicle.

He was seen to be in the company of Aston Amos, who was on a monitoring tag at the time which allowed officers to use GPS location data proving he was in the areas of the crimes at the relevant times.

A request was made to West Mercia Police to arrest the pair.

They were charged with five thefts from vehicles and two counts of criminal damage, which they both pleaded guilty to.

On Friday, November 14, Amos was sentenced to nine months in prison, while Bate was sentenced to nine months suspended for two years, 160 hours of community service, and a 12-week curfew.

Officer in case DC Carl Thomas said: “This was a strong investigation led by North Ceredigion CID with a huge amount of support from a number of departments across the force to apprehend two travelling criminals.

“Amos and Bate came into the Dyfed-Powys area with the aim of targeting vans that might contain valuable tools, working their way through two counties to acquire a vast number of items.

“Thankfully we have been able to recoup some of the stolen items for the victims, however these thefts will still have caused a loss of income and inconvenience for those affected.

“I hope the result of this investigation will send the message that we take these sorts of incidents seriously, and will work collaboratively to bring offenders to justice.”