The incident took place last night (Monday, May 11) in Banbury as Thames Valley Police recovered a vehicle which had previously been stolen.

Originally taken from the Met Police area back in 2023, the Lexus had been cloned, alerting officers nearby.

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Thames Valley Police shared the news with the community via the Rural Crime Taskforce Facebook page, posting a message on the social media site.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Last night, PC Little & PC Akers recovered this Lexus in Banbury.

“An examination of the vehicle confirmed it was a cloned vehicle & had originally been stolen in 2023 from the Met Police area.”

A photograph of the Lexus being taken away accompanied the post, and the news was welcomed by residents.

Daniel Smith, of Hundred Acres Close, Holloway, was jailed for 30 months at a sentencing hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, May 6.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud by false representation, one count of theft by employee and one count of working with vulnerable adults when he was on the barred list.

Mike Hollis, prosecuting, told the court Smith had been barred from working with children and vulnerable adults in 2020 after he used fake references to get a job at a children’s home.

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Daniel Smith (Image: TVP)

Despite this he applied for a job to work at the Oxford charity Aspire, which works with vulnerable adults facing housing problems, in 2022.

The court heard he completed a DBS check, but the charity wasn’t told he was on the barred list.

He’s also been banned from the road for 49 months, but claimed expenses to drive.

Mr Hollis told the court Smith was suspended in October 2022 and resigned shortly after.

Aspire deducted £900 from his wages, and in response Smith refused to return a work laptop and mobile phone, valued at £350.

The charity subsequently discovered that 11 of the 15 clients Smith was supposed to be helping were completely made-up.

The total value of the fraud was £17,730.

As well as being jailed for 30 months, Smith was ordered to pay a total of £18,080 in compensation.

The 66-year-old Clarkson’s Farm star lives on his 1,000 acre farm between Chipping Norton and Chadlington in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.

Mr Clarkson has owned the spot since 2008, and Kaleb Cooper is his farmhand, with the pair running the day-to-day life on the farm.

There have been four series of the show so far with a fifth to debut on June 2.

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But just before that Mr Clarkson and Mr Cooper will headline a brand-new national celebration of Britain’s farmers, their craft and their way of life, at the historic home of the Royal Show, Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

The Great British Farm-Fest will bring together farmers, food lovers, families and festival goers for three unforgettable days of live music, working displays, livestock, machinery and mouth-watering food.

Joining the duo are Lisa Hogan, Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland, Adam Henson and Matt Tebbutt, alongside dozens of farmers, musicians, chefs and rural artisans from across the UK.

Beefy Boys, which has opened a branch in Oxford’s Westgate shopping centre, will also be appearing at the festival.

Co-founder Anthony ‘Murf’ Murphy recently joined the pair to be briefed on the upcoming festival where the Beefy Boys will serve their award-winning burgers.

“The whole Clarkson’s Farm team were great, everyone was very lovely and generous with their time,” Mr Murf told our sister paper the Hereford Times.

“We chatted burgers, BBQ, farming, his upcoming children’s book, and what life is like at Diddly Squat.

“He was a lovely bloke and we had a real good laugh with him on stage. ”