Norfolk gang of 'Nighthawk' detectorists sentenced over dig at Suffolk site of ancient Roman town
A gang of four metal detectorists have been sentenced after carrying out an illegal dig at the site of an ancient Roman town.
The men, who were spotted by a police officer using a special thermal imaging camera, were found in possession of items which could only have come from the site.
They were spotted digging at the site of the Roman town of Combretovium - close to Suffolk village of Coddenham near Needham Market.
The town featured on an ancient Roman map called the Peutinger Table - which showed how all roads led to Rome.
The site was first identified 200 years ago by Sir William Middleton after labourers working close to the river Gipping unearthed a grey Roman urn containing human ashes.
Other finds soon followed including a double bronze mirror, with head of Nero on one side and a general addressing soldiers on the other. It is now housed at the British Museum.
Bradley Ling, 24, of Pond Lane, Surlingham; Kyle Mickleburgh, 25 of Barnham Road, Norwich; Michael Travell, 38, of Beverley Road, Norwich; and Aaron Williams, 25, of Fleeters Hill, Hingham, all admitted going to a scheduled monument equipped for theft and were each given a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Metal detecting on sites scheduled as ancient monuments is illegal without permission from the secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport.
They were also tagged for 90 days with a GPS tracker to monitor their movements, ordered to pay £399 compensation and costs and given a variety of rehabilitation activity requirements.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the coins and destruction of the metal detectors.
Sgt Brian Calver of Suffolk Constabulary’s rural and wildlife crime team described the gang as taking part in "organised, planned criminality".
He said the group targeted heritage sites, adding: "We’ll never know just how much history and knowledge has been lost as a result of their offending, purely for selfish gain.
“I hope this result will make them think about their actions in future and will send a message to others that we take heritage crime seriously.
“These are not victimless crimes, and we’d encourage any landowners that know they are suffering from illegal metal detecting to report it, so we can target those involved.”
Mark Harrison, Historic England's head of heritage crime strategy, said illegal metal detecting was not a victimless crime.
"This site has been identified as the Roman town of Combretovium and is designated as a scheduled monument, a nationally important archaeological site which requires careful managing.
“Unlawful metal detecting and excavation can cause damage to the buried archaeological deposits and the loss of historic artefacts and objects."
Councillor Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro of Suffolk County Council said: “This is a warning to anyone thinking that illegal metal-detecting is acceptable.
“The council’s responsibilities include protecting our environment and collecting and curating archaeological material from excavations across Suffolk. Such illegal activity damages what we are able to understand about our local and national history.”