Jail for burglar who led police on 100mph chase

A burglar who led police on a dangerous pursuit has been jailed.

Niall Pattinson broke into a house in Anchorage Terrace, in Durham, shortly after midnight on June 6 while the occupants were asleep upstairs and took several sets of car keys which he used to break into an Audi A1 parked outside. 

Durham Police shared details of the car with colleagues at Northumbria, who spotted the car near the Tyne Tunnel just over an hour later. 

Officers deployed a stinger, which deflated the car’s tyres, but the driver refused to stop and reached speeds of up to 100mph before officers made the decision to bring the car to a stop using tactical contact. 

The occupants ran from the car, but Pattinson was arrested minutes later in nearby woodland and brought into custody for questioning. 

The 18-year-old of Cuthbert Avenue, Durham, was charged with burglary and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, which he admitted. 

He appeared at Durham Crown Court where he was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 33 months. 

Acting Detective Sergeant Ryan Harrison, from Durham City Volume Crime Team, said: "This was a great piece of cross-border working with our colleagues at Northumbria Police who quickly caught up with Pattinson and brought him into custody. 

"Burglary is an appalling crime that can have a truly devastating impact on victims; it is not just the damage caused, the mess made, and the items stolen - knowing that someone has been in your home and tarnished the very place you are supposed to feel safe can be difficult to overcome. 

"We will not tolerate this type of offending and will do everything in our power to catch offenders and bring them to justice."

Two-in-one burglaries occur when offenders break into a property to steal car keys, and subsequently the car parked outside. 

Try these tips to help reduce the chance of your home and vehicle becoming a target: 

• Keep all doors and windows locked, even when at home
• Store car keys away from doors and windows
• Use key safes or anti-theft key pouches to help prevent keyless thefts
• Fit a tracking device to your car
• Consider installing a security light and/or CCTV
• Report any suspicious behaviour