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‘Menaces’ jailed over stolen car chase
A PAIR of “menaces” who stole a woman’s car before crashing into another during a police chase across South Shields have been jailed.
Ian Duncan and Gary Llewllyn, took a Vauxhall car worth £1,200 from outside the victim’s home before speeding off in it.
A police officer began to follow them as the stolen car, driven by Llwellyn, with Duncan in the front passenger seat, crashed into an oncoming car, driven by Elizabeth Vasey.
Police continued to chase the thieves to a pub where Llewellyn, 19, was arrested. The offence happened last May.
The court heard how Duncan, 24, escaped from the police, but was arrested on June 1 when the woman’s husband received a speeding ticket from the night of the offence.
Mr Hodson told the court how Duncan was identified from the photograph taken from the speed camera and was also traced from DNA left in the car.
In a victim impact statement, the mum, who is a part-time carer for her grandmother, said: “I’m disgusted that someone could have taken my car when it was clear a child’s seat was in the front.”
Between May 23 and 24, Duncan had gone on to steal a motorbike but was identified after he posted a picture of it on Facebook.
The court heard how the motorbike owner managed to access Duncan’s Facebook account where he had published a picture of the stolen bike with the comment: “We’re the grafters, two bikes in one night.”
Duncan then continued his crime spree, stealing a strimmer from an allotment shed on May 30.
The motorbike and the strimmer, which was found in the shed of his sister’s house, were retrieved following Duncan’s arrest on June 1.
The court were told of the ‘appalling’ records of both men, who were described by Judge Thorn as ‘menaces’ to their community.
Michael Hodson, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court how Duncan stole bikes on a ‘regular basis’ to help him to committ crimes in the area and had acted in an ‘antisocial’ manner on 75 occasions.
Duncan, of, Alice Street, South Shields, pleaded guilty to theft of a vehicle, aggravated taking without consent, theft of property - the strimmer, two breaches of an ASBO, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance.
The court heard how Llewellyn was also involved in a further car theft, when between June 23 and 24 last year, a Ford Focus was taken from a woman while her home was being burgled. It was found later totally destroyed by fire, and the court heard Llewellyn had been a passenger in the car.
Llewellyn, of Gainsborough Avenue in South Shields, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated taking without consent, one count of dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance.
Llewellyn was sentenced to 22 months in a young offenders’ institute and was disqualified from driving for three years.
Duncan was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was disqualified from driving for three years.
Passing sentence, Judge Thorn QC told them: “You don’t need me to tell you what an appalling record you have
“You are a considerable menace to the comminity where you both live and that community is at its wits end.”
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Weather for Jarrow
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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