A joyriding thief who stole a motorbike and new Land Rover from a Lake District town has been jailed and banned from driving.
Kieran Cornforth, 26, committed a spree of offending around Bowness-on-Windermere on the night of Saturday, April 26.
Carlisle Crown Court heard a Honda owner left the bike parked near his place of work but discovered it had gone at 10.45pm. CCTV showed it being wheeled into a nearby park.
Tyre tracks allowed the owner to first find a front headlight torn off and discarded after an apparent hot-wiring bid. Cornforth had ridden doughnut shapes on the written-off bike, abandoned it and then stole a nearby £60,000 Land Rover Defender
Cornforth smashed a cottage lock box, entered the property and took keys for the Defender, which was found crashed, abandoned and badly damaged on a road heading for Kendal.
Cornforth had also headed across fields to another holiday cottage, occupied by a woman and her friends. The woman went outside at 11pm to her parked vehicle and was terrified to find him sat in the driver’s seat. He told her “whatever you do, don’t move” but she fled and was unable to speak through shock.
The woman provided an impact statement, prosecutor Andrew Evans saying: “She stated that in the aftermath she felt vulnerable and traumatised. She abandoned her holiday, and stated she was struggling to sleep.“
Cornforth had fled through woods and was located by a PC.
The father-to-be, of Broster Avenue, Keighley, admitted two burglaries, two thefts and two motoring offences, including no insurance. He was on prison licence at the time and subject to a suspended jail term.
His lawyer, Sarfaraz Ahad, said the offences were all committed on impulse. “In a moment, while under the influence of alcohol, he just wanted a bit of fun,” said Mr Adam of the Honda theft. “He would like to apologise to the court and to (all) the victims involved.”
Judge Nicholas Barker imposed a three-and-a-half year jail term. Cornforth must serve a two-year driving ban when released.
“No less than three separate individuals were the victims of your crimes that night,” said Judge Barker. “It is clear there was a substantial degree of loss to them.”
