Dramatic moment police dog tracks down suspect after early morning vehicle theft

Five men have been jailed after attempting to steal two vehicles before leading police on an early morning pursuit.

Shane Ali, 33, of Linden Roadin Leeds, James Coffey, 48, of New Village Way in Morley, Travis Neagle, 31, of Bradford Road in Batley, Marcus Durant, 31, of East Park Street in Leeds, and Lewis Jackson, 34, of no fixed address, all admitted theft of a motor vehicle and burglary when they appeared at York Crown Court in April.

Coffey also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified.

The five men were sentenced at York Crown Court this week.

Ali was jailed for 31 months, while Coffey was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, to be served consecutively to an existing sentence for a separate matter.

Durant received a prison sentence of two years and 10 months, Neagle was jailed for 22 months and Jackson was sentenced to 20 months behind bars.

The court heard that at around 4.40am on Tuesday, November 4 last year, North Yorkshire Police received a report that an Iveco truck and a Renault Master van had been stolen from a business premises in Fellscliffe, near Harrogate.

Officers responded immediately and within minutes a roads policing officer spotted the stolen Iveco travelling along the A59 near Blubberhouses.

A blue Volkswagen Passat, already linked through police intelligence to suspected burglary activity, was following behind and was believed to be acting as a "spotter" vehicle.

Police followed both vehicles on the A59 towards Bolton Abbey before the Passat turned onto Bark Lane in Addingham.

The Iveco then attempted to reverse into a police vehicle before speeding away at around twice the speed limit.

During the pursuit, two occupants jumped from the moving vehicle, which rolled into a wall.

The Passat was boxed in by officers and three occupants - Ali, Coffey and Neagle - were arrested at the scene.

A search of the area involving police dog Rhun and his handler led to the discovery of Lewis Jackson, who was hiding in a bush around 100 metres away.

Jackson attempted to run off but was detained after the police dog was deployed.

Later that morning, at around 9am, residents in Addingham alerted police after spotting a suspicious man covered in mud, particularly on the lower half of his clothing.

The man entered the village library and attempted to arrange transport.

An Uber driver was unable to take him due to a booking issue, while members of the public warned a taxi driver not to leave with him.

He became agitated before getting out of the vehicle.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police attended and identified the man as Marcus Durant, who was arrested shortly afterwards following coordination with North Yorkshire Police.

The stolen Renault Master van was recovered later that day and examined for forensic evidence.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Saiyra Khan, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We are pleased with the sentences handed to these five defendants.

“They travelled across counties with the clear intention of committing crime under the cover of darkness.

“Thanks to a prompt call from a business owner, our officers were able to respond quickly and intercept the suspects.

“This case highlights how effectively we work across borders to pursue offenders - and we will continue to be relentless in targeting those involved in this type of criminality.

“Burglary is an intrusive offence that can have a significant and lasting impact on victims.

“These men now have time to reflect on their actions behind bars.”