Pair who stole £5k cigarettes from corner shop hurled glass bottles from car during police chase

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Daniel Spencer and Craig Smith broke into KP Foods in Kingswinford on New Year's Eve 2014 and made off with a haul of cigarettes worth £5,000 - as well as some cash and alcohol.

They tried to evade arrest by police by hurtling through Kingswinford, Himley and Sedgley, and throwing glass bottles out of the window of their stolen car at the chasing police vehicle.

Smith, 25, was jailed for a total of two years while 19-year-old Spencer was handed a 12-month jail term suspended for 12 months by Judge Kristina Montgomery QC.

Mr Walter Bealby, prosecuting, said the pair carried out a 'noisy break-in' to the shop in Beech Road around 12.30am on December 31, 2014 which alerted neighbours.

When police officers attended the scene they spotted a light blue Volkswagen Passat.

Suspecting it was connected with the burglary the police tried to flag down the car which sped off, so they set off in pursuit.

Officers were led on a chase through Kingswinford on to the A449 towards Wolverhampton, then into Sedgley at speeds reaching 50mph.

One of the tyres on the Passat came off, with the metal rim causing sparks to fly up from the road surface.

Mr Bealby said that at one point items were lobbed at the police vehicle, while the defendants also switched the car's headlights off in a bid to lose their tail.

He said: "They threw objects out of the window including a number of glass bottles which smashed into the road near the police car - no doubt an effort to avoid being caught."

The chase finally came to an end in Bridgewater Drive, Sedgley - a cul-de-sac - and Spencer and Smith were caught as they tried to escape on foot.

Spencer, of Plascom Road, Wolverhampton, and Smith, of Warsash Close, Wolverhampton, both pleaded guilty to burglary and aggravated vehicle taking at an earlier hearing.

Mr Michael Polak, defending Smith, said despite a number of previous convictions the 25-year-old had 'got his life back on track'.

Ms Sarah Buckingham, defending Spencer, said her client 'has an appalling record' but in recent months has 'proved he can stay out of trouble'.

Judge Montgomery QC said it was clear the duo 'were determined to try to get away from the police'.

The judge said a pursuit of this sort was 'inherently dangerous' and 'put other road users at very considerable risk'.

Smith was also disqualified from driving for three years and will face an extended test when he wants to get back on the road.

Judge Montgomery banned Spencer from driving for two years, imposed a four-month electronic curfew from 9pm to 6am and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.