Bike thief jailed after crashing car while evading police

A bungling bike thief who apparently forgot he was driving and not riding when he crashed a car full of stolen bikes has been jailed.

On November 17 last year police on a routine patrol tried to stop Anthony Stephen Copeland in Harrogate. Copeland attempted to drive away, but hit a bollard and then fled on foot

In his car, officers found three bikes worth about £2,750, which had been reported stolen from Harrogate the previous day. The bikes were returned to their rightful owner.

Extensive nationwide enquiries and media appeals were made to locate Copeland, and he was arrested in Manchester by officers from Greater Manchester Police on 27 January 2015 - having again failed to stop and crashing his vehicle.

Copeland, 27, of Farnworth, Bolton, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, two counts of dangerous driving and possessing a class B drug at Manchester Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 15 and 8 months' imprisonment for the driving offences, and 15 months' for the handling offence, to run concurrently.

DC Quita Passmore, of Harrogate CID, said: “I am pleased that Copeland has been handed a significant prison sentence that reflects the serious nature of his offending.

“This case highlights our commitment to tracking down and bringing offenders to justice, and residents can be reassured that we will relentlessly pursue criminals who travel to North Yorkshire intent on committing crime.”