TWO men have admitted burgling a Cotswold farmhouse and stealing the owner's £35,000 RangeRover.

Michael Cooper, 32, formerly of Gammage Court, Finedon, near Wellingborough, but now of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Gloucester Crown Court on Monday to conspiring to burgle Pebbly Hill Farm, in Bledington, near Stow, in January 2015.

He had previously denied the offence and was scheduled for a trial before a jury.

Derek Perry, prosecuting, said "On January 8, 2015 Mr Wilson saw his Range Rover at about 3pm at his farmhouse but the next morning at 8am it had gone. It seems someone had gone into the house and taken the car keys.

"The vehicle was later recovered in Kettering near where Cooper lived at that time."

He said a fingerprint found in the vehicle matched with Lucille Cooper, 36, of Ashbrook Close, Broughton, Kettering. Whe her phone was checked police found messages which suggested Michael Cooper had been involved with her in the offence."

Further enquiries led on to Shane Davis, 31, of Glovers Close, Wellingborough, who pleaded guilty and was bailed pending sentence.

At Monday's hearing Ms Cooper pleaded guilty by video link from Northampton to handling stolen goods - the Range Rover.

She was bailed to await sentence on Aug 12 and Michael Cooper - who is no relation to her - was remanded in custody.

At an earlier hearing George Threlfall, who was then prosecuting, said the case was based on circumstantial evidence - mobile phone cellsite tracking which allegedly showed the defendants travelling from Northants to the farm location and away again.

"We say this is a case of three people from Northamptonshire coming to north Gloucestershire where there would be rich pickings for them," he said.

"We allege they visited farms on the pretext of looking for land to go ferreting.

"The victim in this case had his RangeRover stolen. It was taken from outside his large house which is set in 12 acres of land.

"He arrived home and put his keys in a bowl on the kitchen table. Later when they were not there he thought his wife had gone out in the car.

"He did not realise till the next morning that the RangeRover was missing.

"Later the police found the vehicle abandoned near Kettering."

Michael Cooper and Shane Davis will be sentenced next month.