Two men who went on a £4,000 shoplifting spree in Penrith before a dangerous high speed police chase as they headed out of Cumbria have been handed prison sentences by a judge.
Shaun Ellwood, 52, and 34-year-old Liam Prudhoe hit seven different stores on a single day during a planned criminal enterprise on June 28 last year.
The partners-in-crime stole £400 furniture from a B&M Bargains outlet and snatched £190 worth of food from Aldi. They also pinched goods valued at £275, £220 and then £720 worth of Berghaus jackets — from Home Bargains, Morrisons and then Go Outdoors.
Some £77 worth of products were unlawfully taken from Iceland by Ellwood and Prudhoe, who raided Penrith’s Sainsbury’s supermarket twice during the day, stealing alcohol worth £1,220 and then £1,071.
After the thieves left Penrith, police were told to look for a Citroen Picasso, driven by Ellwood, which was seen leaving the M6 at Junction 42 near Carlisle.
Officers activated blue lights and sirens but Ellwood failed to stop and hit speeds of around 90mph near Cumwhinton and Wetheral, and approximately 60mph within the 30mph villages themselves.
“It was characterised by high speeds and dangerous overtakes,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told Carlisle Crown Court of a seven-mile pursuit. Some overtakes took place on blind bends and there were several near misses as other motorists desperately took evasive action.
“There was a sharp bend which the defendant (Ellwood) took at speed and effectively lost control,” said Mr Burke. It ploughed through a hedge and into a field, the prosecutor adding: “Both men fled but were caught quickly.”
When brought to court, the men each admitted eight shop theft charges. Heavily-convicted Ellwood, of Ravenswood Square, Sunderland, also admitted dangerous driving, disqualified driving and no insurance.
Shada Mellor, mitigating for Ellwood, conceded a degree of planning was involved. “It was not sophisticated or significant,” she told the court. “There was no use of threat.”
The men were sentenced today by Recorder Julian Shaw, who said: “This is a two-man crime spree through Penrith.” Of the dangerous driving, the judge added: “How you didn’t kill yourselves or others is a mystery.”
Ellwood was handed a 20-month prison sentence and must serve a two-year driving ban when released from custody.
Prudhoe, of Joyce Terrace, Sunderland, was given a “last chance” to seek professional help for personal problems. He had an eight-month jail term suspended for two years, and must complete rehabilitation work, a “thinking skills” course and 120 hours’ community service.
