A blundering thief took police on a 6mph chase while holding a bottle of wine after stealing a roller from a cricket club.
Leon Mitchell, 21, broke into Connah’s Quay cricket club in North Wales and made off on the pitch roller, a slow-moving machine used to flatten wickets.
He trundled along country lanes for two miles, wine bottle in hand, as bemused onlookers reported the bizarre sight to police.
Officers were told two men were on the roller and then caught up with them.
Prosecutor Amy Edwards said that instead of pulling over, Mitchell threw bricks from a bucket towards the police car, damaging one of the pursuing police vehicles.
He then drove the roller down a country lane in a bid to escape – but was met by an oncoming police car, which attempted to box him in.
The pursuit ended when Mitchell lost control and ploughed into a hedge. He was arrested at the scene but refused to give a breath sample.
Checks revealed he was already serving a two-year driving ban.
Myles Wilson, defending, called Mitchell ‘very immature and impulsive’.
Leon Mitchell, 21, broke into Connah’s Quay cricket club in North Wales and made off on the pitch roller, a slow-moving machine used to flatten wickets
He trundled along country lanes for two miles, wine bottle in hand, as bemused onlookers reported the bizarre sight to police
Prosecutor Amy Edwards said that instead of pulling over, Mitchell threw bricks from a bucket towards the police car, damaging one of the pursuing police vehicles
He said: ‘He was never going to be able to get away from the police, but he literally could not stop himself. Luckily, no one was injured, no serious damage, caused.’
Judge Rhys Rowlands told Mitchell he had shown ‘arrogant disregard’ for the law.
He said: ‘It is, to say the least, an unusual case but nonetheless serious for that because it involves a protracted piece of bad driving committed by someone who had been drinking, thinking they were being very, very clever indeed in behaving in this way, and no doubt showing off to their friend.
‘This standoff continued for a distance of two miles – you lost control of the roller and ended up in a hedge.’
He added: ‘There was no great speed involved here, in view of the nature of the road roller, but owing to its size and weight, it had the potential to cause very significant damage – hence the police car reversing from you.’
The pursuit ended when Mitchell lost control and ploughed into a hedge. He was arrested at the scene but refused to give a breath sample
‘I doubt Connah’s Quay Cricket Club use broken bricks to make their pitch better. They would have put them there to use as a weapon against any motorist.’
Judge Rhys Rowlands said: ‘It is, to say the least, an unusual case but nonetheless serious … this standoff continued for a distance of two miles. You lost control of the roller and ended up in a hedge.’
Mitchell, now of Chester, admitted dangerous driving, taking a motorised roller, failing to provide a specimen of breath, and driving while disqualified.
He was jailed for 10 months and banned from driving for 41 months.
The other man was given a community order for taking a conveyance without consent at an earlier hearing.
