Newcastle vigilante jailed for motorbike thief killing

Mihai Dinisoae was intent on chasing down his victims, police said

A "vigilante" who chased down a motorcycle thief and "left him to die" after ramming the bike into a lamp-post has been jailed for 10 years.

Mihai Dinisoae, 32, pursued his bike by car after it was taken from outside his home in Newcastle.

Joshua Molloy, who had been riding the motorcycle as a pillion passenger, died after being thrown into the road.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Dinisoae pleaded guilty to manslaughter after last month being cleared of murder.

In what police described as a "high-speed" chase that was captured on CCTV footage, he drove the wrong way around roundabouts and repeatedly smashed his Vauxhall Vectra into the bike on the morning of 5 May.

Mr Molloy died at the scene while a 29-year-old man who had also been on the bike suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital.

Dinisoae, of Baldwin Avenue, in the Fenham area of the city, admitted he had chased the two thieves but claimed they had lost control of the motorcycle.

Joshua Molloy died at the scene of the crash

Northumbria Police described him as a "vigilante killer" who had left Mr Molloy "to die on the roadside".

Det Insp Joanne Brooks said Dinisoae "completely lost control of his emotions and was intent on chasing down his victims", having made no attempt to report the theft to officers.

Dinisoae was also sentenced to 36 months in jail having admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving in relation to the crash survivor.

That sentence will run alongside his term for manslaughter.