Keswick bicycle thief led police on 115mph chase on M6

Harry Curran overtook an ambulance on the brow of a hill as he tried to evade police

A burglar stole £30,000 worth of bikes from a shop before leading police on a high-speed chase, during which he dangerously overtook an ambulance.

Career criminal Harry Curran, 34, was with two accomplices when he robbed E-Venture Cycles in Keswick on 5 October.

Police began following his van as it undertook lorries on the M6 at speeds of up to 115mph.

Curran, from Tower Hamlets, east London, was jailed for 27 months at Carlisle Crown Court.

The father-to-be had raised suspicion earlier in the day when he was examining high-value bikes at another store.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told the court: "He did not look like the usual customer in the Lakes to buy a mountain bike.

"That was due to the way he was dressed and also the inappropriate bike he was choosing for his build."

Curran was stopped by police in Ambleside and then appeared with an accomplice, 41-year-old James Easterbrook, at Arragons Cycle Centre in Penrith.

At 22:00 BST, a member of the public saw a suspicious-looking hire van backed up to the Keswick shop which then quickly sped off, the court heard.

Police followed the van as it was driven dangerously on the M6 and continued the pursuit after it left the motorway.

It overtook an ambulance on the blind crest of a hill on the A6 near Garstang, Lancashire, before it was halted by a stinger trap.

Curran and Easterbrook were detained but a third occupant escaped capture.

'Wonder why I bother'

Balaclavas and an angle grinder were found in the van along with five bicycles.

Curran, of Wicker Street, and Easterbrook, of Cable Street, both east London, admitted burglary. Curran also admitted dangerous driving.

In an impact statement, the Keswick shop owner said: "It makes me wonder why I bother.

"I feel like the criminals just don't understand the impact their crime has on me, my business and the local community."

The cost of damage to the stolen bikes amounted to more than £7,000.

Judge Nicholas Barker jailed Curran for 27 months and banned him from driving for 20 months.

Easterbrook had a 14-month jail term suspended for two years.

"It is clear to me the purpose of your activity that night was to steal high-value items," Judge Barker told the pair, "and you had travelled a considerable distance to do so."