Land Rover Theft Leads to Bronze Statue Heist and Jail
Jack Strover made a bold move by stealing a Land Rover from Great Chart in January 2021. But that was just the start. He then used the stolen vehicle to haul off three valuable bronze statues the same night.
Daring Crime on January 3, 2021
At around 6.30pm, the Land Rover was spotted leaving its owner’s property in convoy with a small silver car. Later that evening, the stolen SUV was seen in Wittersham, towing large items behind it with a rope. The items bounced along the ground due to the speed, drawing attention.
Those “items” were three bronze statues known as the Dancing Ladies. Created by artist Sophie Ryder, the sculptures showed three women dancing in a circle, each with giant hare heads.
Statues Found Damaged – Owner’s Vehicle Abandoned
- Two statues found abandoned on the roadside, badly damaged
- Stolen Land Rover recovered next morning, damaged and unable to start
Public reports helped police track down the wreckage. Police later linked the crime to Strover, a 34-year-old formerly from Ashford.
Evident Guilt and Prison Sentence
Strover was arrested less than two weeks later on separate charges. Crucially, his phone held video footage of the stolen statues in transit and screenshots of police appeals. This evidence helped the Chief Constable’s Crime Squad charge him with theft of a motor vehicle and theft.
At Canterbury Crown Court on 11 March 2022, Strover pleaded guilty and received 24 months in prison.
Detective Sergeant Jay Robinson said: “Jack Strover broke this sculpture during his attempts to steal it. Although parts were recovered, they were damaged beyond repair. The footage we found showed his complete disregard for the statues’ artistic value – to him, it was scrap metal.”
“He showed selfishness towards the victims, stole what he wanted, damaged property as he fled and sold what was left. Saving footage on his phone like trophies ultimately landed him behind bars.”
