Clinton Bowen, 44, formerly of Ironbridge Road, Twigworth, has been arrested and jailed after absconding during his trial for orchestrating the theft of £500,000 worth of rare coins. Bowen was apprehended on January 11 at an address in Cheltenham, where officers responding to an unrelated matter recognized him despite his attempt to provide false information.
Bowen had been on the run since February last year after fleeing Gloucester Crown Court during his trial for conspiracy to commit burglary, relating to a high-profile heist that took place in March 2024. He and his co-conspirators targeted the home of a Northamptonshire coin dealer, executing a calculated scheme.
The gang arranged a meeting with the victim under the guise of selling a private coin collection. While Bowen distracted the dealer, an accomplice secretly attached a tracker to his car to locate his residence. Two weeks later, on March 10, four masked burglars broke into the dealer’s home while he and his wife were asleep, stealing the rare coins valued at half a million pounds.
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The victim woke during the break-in and courageously tried to stop the thieves as they fled. He was stabbed in the leg, which forced him to retreat, but not before he memorized the getaway car’s number plate. Although the burglars removed the tracker, vigilant police work by Northamptonshire Police led to Bowen’s arrest and charges.
Bowen attended court up until the penultimate day of his trial before absconding, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest. He was sentenced in absentia to seven and a half years in prison and is believed to have fled to Spain.
On January 12, Bowen reappeared at Gloucester Crown Court, where his original sentence was upheld. He also received an additional two-month consecutive sentence for breaching bail in February 2025.
Temporary Detective Inspector Carrie Benbow praised PC Sam Jones for her sharp eye that led to Bowen’s capture, stating: “His cowardly attempt to evade justice only lengthened his sentence. I hope the victim can now find peace knowing Bowen is behind bars, where he belongs.”