A thief in a stolen car was involved in a crash after breaking into two taxis in Middlesbrough - whilst he was out of prison on licence.
The stolen Peugeot 206 carrying Colin Andrew Readshaw, 23 and another male reached speeds of 84mph while being pursued by police through Middlesbrough on Friday, February 20 at 11pm.
The car sped down Ladgate Lane and Marton Road before taking a sharp left into Cavendish Road in Beechwood, Middlesbrough, smashing head-long into a Volkswagen Caddy, leaving the van’s two passengers shaken and bruised.
Earlier that evening, Readshaw had stolen cash from two Skoda Octavia taxis parked next to each other on Easterside Road in Easterside, Middlesbrough.
All this was done while he was out of prison on licence, after receiving a two-year jail sentence in March 2014 when he admitted attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and affray. He had driven a car at a 16-year-old boy in September 2013.
Readshaw had admitted aggravated vehicle taking without consent, and two counts of theft, at an earlier hearing and was given a 12 month prison sentence, to run consecutively for each, by Recorder Takir Khan QC at Teesside Crown Court today.
Readshaw appeared at court from custody after being recalled to prison after offending whilst on licence - and Recorder Khan admitted that the custodial part of his latest sentence could be over by the time he is released from his original two year sentence.
Prosecuting, David Crook said: “The stolen car had been hot-wired. At around 11pm, a marked police car saw the vehicle at a junction without headlights. It ran a check, saw it was stolen, and began to follow it.
“During the pursuit, the car weaved in and out of traffic and overtook slower moving vehicles while hitting 84mph on one of the key arterial routes through Middlesbrough, which is well used by ambulances going to James Cook University Hospital.
“The car took a hard left at Cavendish Road and hit a Volkswagen van. The passengers of the Volkswagen were shaken, they were bruised and sore. The van was extensively damaged.
“CCTV footage shows the airbags going off in the stolen Peugeot and two males running away from the scene. One has not been apprehended, but Readshaw was later found crawling through a nearby garden and arrested.”
The court heard that Readshaw, of Brough Court, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, also had convictions for theft in 2008, for taking without consent in 2008 and 2011 and for burglary in 2009 and 2012.
The Crown Prosecution Service had originally charged Readshaw with driving whilst disqualified, but this was dropped after he insisted he was a front seat passenger in the stolen car.
Mitigating, Gary Wood said that Readshaw had reacted positively when released on licence to live at his grandmother’s, but had “fallen back in with the old, wrong crowd of disruptive influences” after moving back to his mother’s house.
Mr Wood said: “He has indicated real remorse and regret about what he has done. He is sorry.
“Going back to his old address, he has got back in with friends and family who have been disruptive. He is perhaps easily led.
“He understands what he has done, and knows he will not be able to see his 6-year-old son as much as he would like because of his custodial sentence.”
Readshaw, already disqualified, was also given a mandatory 12 month driving ban.
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