A burglar who ram-raided a shop before taking police on a high-speed chase was arrested after he crashed his van into a lamppost.
Daniel Pears used the Transit flatbed van to smash his way into the Co-op in Easingwold before stealing more than £900 from the tills and grabbing a bottle of booze.
The 37-year-old driving the distinctive van, with a refrigerator strapped to the back, in the area before attempting to pull him over as he raced around North Yorkshire.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Pears sped off swerving in and out of traffic on the A19 while at points driving in the wrong direction towards oncoming traffic.
Caroline McGurk, prosecuting, said CCTV captured Pears entering the shop via the damaged security shutter wearing high-vis trousers, a fleece and a balaclava.
“He left the store with the money and a bottle of spirit before driving away,” she said.
She said after police tried to pull him over, he sped off and at times reached speeds on 70mph in a 30mph zone as he entered Thirsk.
The judge watched the footage of the police chase which captured Pears swerving across the road, driving in the wrong direction before he came to a shuddering stop as he crashed into a lamppost.
The court heard how the defendant had 15 previous convictions for 25 offences, including nine for theft-related crimes.
Pears, of Bishopton Lane, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and burglary following his arrest in the early hours of April 5 this year.
He also pleaded guilty to two breaches of a community order imposed for previous offences including assaulting a police officer.
Lee Goodchild, mitigating, said his client had been struggling with drink and drug problems at the time of the offence.
He added: “He stopped attending his community order appointments in March and commits the burglary and driving offence in April.
See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here
- Manipulative asylum seeker raped North East woman after befriending her online
-
Petrol-pouring arsonists set family's home ablaze as they slept inside
-
How night out for group of friends ended in callous murder of dad by teen knifeman
Unlock unlimited local news subscribe today and save on an annual subscription. Enjoy access to our ad-free mobile and tablet app, as well as the digital edition of the paper. Don’t miss out – subscribe now! Click here for details.
“It seems he had given up hope that progress was going to be made on the order.”
Recorder Aisha Wadoodi sentence Pears to a total of 18 months for all offences and banned him from driving for 21 months after admitting he stole the cash and bottle of vodka.
She said: “This was an appalling piece of driving and it is right to say that you were subject to three community orders at the time, so you were being provided with help in relation to staying out of trouble.
“You had been given chance upon chance. These offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
Share