North Yorkshire Police Road Crime Team pursuit into Durham

• published: 19 Aug 2015
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On 30 December 2014, officers from the North Yorkshire Police Road Crime Team headed into the Durham area in an attempt to locate a stolen Mercedes motor vehicle that had been taken along with jewellery and cash in a burglary near Whitby the previous evening. Whilst searching for the vehicle without success, the team were alerted to a vehicle that had been seen travelling near to the stolen Mercedes the previous evening, and was now believed to be in the Easington area in County Durham. Two vehicles from the Road Crime Team attempted to stop the vehicle, which failed to stop and then led the team on a 24-minute pursuit into Durham. Assisted by colleagues from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, the vehicle was pursued into a multi-storey car park where the four occupants fled from the vehicle. Two men were arrested at the scene. 43-year-old Christopher Gibson was charged with a burglary offence committed in Reading on 1 July 2014, and sentenced to two years and four months’ imprisonment. No further action was taken against the second male arrested. The driver of the Vauxhall Vectra, 41-year-old Wayne Kelsey, was later identified and in June 2015 was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for an unconnected firearms offence along with 12 months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively for dangerous driving on 30 December 2014. He was also disqualified from driving for three years. The fourth occupant, 38-year-old Louise McCarroll, was found to have sold £20,000 worth of jewellery stolen in a burglary a short time prior to the police pursuit. She was subsequently sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months for handling stolen goods. No further action was taken in relation to the Whitby burglary. Operation Hawk is North Yorkshire Police's campaign to clamp down on rural and cross-border crime. This is supported by the Road Crime Team who specialise in countering cross-border criminality through the use of high-performance patrol cars, supported by an expanding network of ANPR cameras. Working across force borders the team will relentlessly pursue offenders that impact on the public of North Yorkshire. You can follow the Road Crime Team on Twitter: @NYPRoadCrime