by Joe Jeffrey
Thief who stole car and caravan sentenced to 15 months
A man who led police on a dangerous chase on the M6 motorway driving a stolen car with a stolen caravan in tow has been jailed for 15 months.
Andrew Cribbes, 41, from Oxford, pleaded guilty to stealing the caravan from storage premises at Old Arley, near Nuneaton, handling the Mitsubishi L200 he was using to tow it, and dangerous driving.
During the police chase, which took place after the caravan owner was alerted to the fact that her caravan was on the move by the company responsible for the tracking device installed within it, officers laid down a stinger mat in a bid to halt Cribbes’ escape. Cribbes , however, drove over it deflating one tyre in the process, and continued his attempt to escape on the M6.
During the police chase, Cribbes travelled at speeds of up to 60mph, whilst swerving across all three lanes of the motorway before being boxed in by a number of police cars.
Matthew Brook, defending, told the judge: “Mr Cribbes is well aware you’re going to be imposing an immediate term of custody. The only question is the total length of that sentence.”
And he conceded: “Of course, there was some degree of planning in handling the car to steal the caravan.”
Mr Brook said that in 2012 Cribbes had been jailed for three years for wounding, and after his release he was living in a hostel, but working and looking forward to finding a flat.
“But the probation service in Oxford felt it appropriate, when he had just four weeks left on his licence, to have him recalled to prison for having an empty beer can.
“So when he came out four weeks later, he had no job and no accommodation, and at the time of this offence he was living in a tent in Oxford and using Class A drugs.”
Jailing Cribbes, Recorder Michael Burrows QC told him: “You were driving a car which had been stolen, and which you had dishonestly received, and you stole a caravan.
“You drove onto the M6 and you drove over a stinger and rammed several police cars to try to get away. You know there has to be a custodial sentence.”
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