Four would-be thieves the tossed tools of their illegal trade from a car during a 90mph police chase along the A66.
Police saw a black BMW near Temple Sowerby, at around midnight on March 18 2020. It travelled at 90mph before entering a layby in which HGVs were parked.
“It slowed down and was crawling past these vehicles,” Brendan Burke, prosecuting, told Carlisle Crown Court, “exhibiting an interest which was later found to be attacking the vehicles and wanting to steal goods from them.”
An unmarked police car tried to block the BMW’s path but driver Grant Bower simply drove over a kerb and took off.
It again reached 90mph during a pursuit near Penrith which ended when a stinger device was deployed.
“During the relatively brief chase, the occupants were discarding things on to the A66. When it was stopped an additional feature was noted, which is that it had a film over the registration plate which is concluded to deflect ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras,” said Mr Burke.
After making arrests, police retraced the route and recovered pairs of gloves, an angle grinder and a smashed mobile phone which had been thrown from the vehicle.
Further east, the curtain sides of four HGVs had been slashed.
Bower, 29, admitted careless driving and, along with three fellow West Yorkshire-based accomplices — Kyle Douglas, Thomas Law, both aged 28; and Jake Mitchell, 30 — admitted going equipped for theft.
All had previous convictions but lawyers on their behalf gave mitigation and outlined their respective work and rehabilitation prospects, family commitments and remorse.
Bower, of Radulf Gardens, Liversedge; Law, of Providence Court, Dewsbury; Mitchell, of Greenfield View, Batley; and Douglas, of Sunnyside Avenue, Tingley, near Wakefield, each had 14-month prison sentences suspended for two years.
All must complete 180 hours’ unpaid work, rehabilitation requirements and night time curfews. Bower also received a six-month driving ban.
“You had no reason to be there,” Judge Nicholas Barker told the travelling criminals, “and whatever mitigation and submissions I’ve heard about the idea it was unplanned and was not a determine effort to go on manoeuvres with the intention of stealing, I wholly reject.
“The four of you knew exactly what you were about. It wasn’t a sightseeing expedition.”
