Landowner seriously injured after being attacked by nighthawkers
Appeal for witnesses following serious assault on Yapham Road in Pocklington
Police are appealing for witnesses following the assault of a man on Yapham Road in Pocklington shortly after midnight on Saturday 6 April.
The man sustained a serious head injury, he remains in a stable condition in hospital following the incident where he had challenged men that were on his land illegally metal detecting known as nighthawking*.
The men left the scene in a silver vehicle believed to be an Audi.
If you witnessed this incident and have not already spoken to officers please call Police on their non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 16/44596/19.
Nighthawking refers to the fact that such illegal activity is often undertaken at night to avoid detection and arrest. Although this is deceiving as it also occurs during the day.
It can occur anywhere in the country, but counties such as the East Riding of Yorkshire are particularly vulnerable due to the rich heritage and large amounts of arable land.
The removal of any object from land without the landowner’s permission may amount to an offence of theft. It is also an offence to metal detect on a Scheduled Monument without a licence or to fail to report the discovery of potential items of Treasure.
The historic objects and artefacts that are recovered are often kept in private collections or sold for personal profit. Because they are stolen property, the finders are unlikely to report their finds and valuable historical data is lost for good.
Incidents of crime against heritage assets, including unlawful metal detecting should be reported to the police.
