TWO men who went on a crime spree in a stolen car failed in their attempt to ram-raid a farm shop before breaking into a garage and stealing a bike.

Ashley Wardell, along with his accomplice Scott Gregory, repeatedly drove a Vauxhall Corsa – taken without his cousin's consent – into the Hutchinson Hobbs farm shop near Yarm.

Gregory then launched an unprovoked attack on a man as he walked to work leaving his victim with facial fractures.

Jane Foley, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that CCTV footage showed both men taking turns to ram the vehicle into the building where they caused thousands of pounds worth of damage before giving up.

She said a description of the vehicle was passed to the police and while they were searching for the suspects, the two men continued on their 'crime spree'.

Miss Foley said: "Unfortunately, officers were not able to find the men in time to stop them committing further offences."

Gregory then attacked a man who was walking to work along Spitalfields, in Yarm, at around 5am on August 8 last year. The victim suffered a number of facial fractures, including one to his jaw, which required hospital treatment.

Wardell then stole a bicycle from a locked garage in Yarm.

The 27-year-old, of Pine Tree Grove, Middleton St George, pleaded to aggravated vehicle taking, attempted burglary and theft of the bike.

While 38-year-old Gregory, of the same address, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary, driving whilst disqualified, unlawful wounding/grievous bodily harm and urinating in the rear of a police vehicle after his arrest.

Adam Walker, mitigating for Gregory, said his client had managed to stay out of trouble until he slipped back into his old drug habit following a bereavement.

He added: "It was at a time when this defendant was at a very low ebb and not giving any real thought to his actions."

Mr Walker said Gregory was determined to stay off drugs when he was released from prison after cleaning up his act whilst on remand.

Peter Sabiston, representing Wardell, said his client had been a hardworking man until he was sacked after falling asleep on the job.

He urged the judge to pass as short a sentence as possible after Wardell sought to 'seek approval from the wrong people'.

Judge Paul Watson QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, jailed Wardell for 14 months and banned him from driving for 25 months.

He said: "As a result of you and him taking the car belonging to your cousin and using it in a pre-meditated and determined ram-raid style attempt burglary. you didn't manage to break in but you caused substantial damage.

l Gregory will be sentenced at a later date after technical problems meant he was unable to appear in court via a videolink from Durham Prison.