Pair went on £4k shoplifting spree before high-speed chase

Shaun Ellwood (pictured) and Liam Prudhoe, both from Sunderland,

Two men who went on a £4,000 shoplifting spree before a high-speed police chase have been sentenced.

Shaun Ellwood, 52, and 34-year-old Liam Prudhoe, both from Sunderland, targeted seven different stores in the Cumbrian town of Penrith on 28 June last year.

After the thieves left Penrith, they were followed by police for seven miles, which ended with the pair's Citroen Picasso, driven by Ellwood, ploughing through a hedge and into a field after taking a bend at high speed.

The men each admitted eight shop theft charges and were sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court.

The pair stole from stores, including more than £2,000 of alcohol from Sainsbury’s, £400 furniture from a B&M Bargains outlet and £720 worth of Berghaus jackets from Go Outdoors before leaving Penrith.

After leaving the M6 at Junction 42 near Carlisle, officers activated blue lights and sirens but Ellwood failed to stop and hit speeds of about 90mph (145 km/h) near Cumwhinton and Wetheral, and approximately 60mph (97 km/h) within the 30mph (48 km/h) villages themselves.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said: “Both men fled but were caught quickly.”

'Last chance'

Ellwood, of Ravenswood Square, Sunderland, also admitted dangerous driving, disqualified driving and no insurance.

Shada Mellor, mitigating for Ellwood, conceded a degree of planning was involved.

“It was not sophisticated or significant,” she told the court.

Ellwood was handed a 20-month prison sentence and must serve a two-year driving ban when released from custody.

Prudhoe, of Joyce Terrace, Sunderland, was given a “last chance” to seek professional help for personal problems.

He had an eight-month jail term suspended for two years, and must complete rehabilitation work, a “thinking skills” course and 120 hours’ community service.

Sentencing the pair Recorder Julian Shaw, who said of the dangerous driving: “How you didn’t kill yourselves or others is a mystery.”