Clinton Bowen, 44, formerly of Ironbridge Road, Twigworth, has been arrested and sentenced after absconding during his trial for masterminding a £500,000 rare coin theft. Bowen was apprehended on January 11 at a Cheltenham address during an unrelated police visit when PC Sam Jones recognized him, despite his attempts to provide false information. Custody checks confirmed his identity.
Bowen had been wanted since February last year after disappearing before the conclusion of his trial at Gloucester Crown Court. The case involved a March 2024 burglary in Northamptonshire, where a valuable collection of rare coins was stolen from a coin dealer’s home.
During the trial, it emerged that Bowen orchestrated the burglary with accomplices. They arranged a fake meeting with the victim under the pretense of selling a private coin collection. While Bowen distracted the dealer, an accomplice attached a tracker to his car to learn his home address.
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On the night of March 10, 2024, four masked burglars broke into the dealer’s house while he and his wife slept upstairs. The thieves made off with the rare coins valued at half a million pounds. The victim courageously confronted the burglars and tried to stop their getaway car but was stabbed in the leg, forcing him to retreat. The burglars removed the tracker from the victim’s car before fleeing, but the victim memorized their vehicle’s number plate.
Northamptonshire Police identified Bowen as a key conspirator and charged him. He attended court until the penultimate day of the trial, when he disappeared. A judge subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest, and a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence was handed down in his absence. Bowen is believed to have fled to Spain.
Bowen appeared again at Gloucester Crown Court on January 12. His original sentence was upheld, and he received an additional two-month consecutive sentence for breaching bail conditions in February 2025.
Temporary Detective Inspector Carrie Benbow praised PC Sam Jones for his crucial role in Bowen’s arrest, stating, “Bowen’s attempt to evade justice by fleeing overseas only increased his sentence. The victim can now find some peace knowing he is behind bars.”