Hartlepool man Aaron Durkin jailed after being involved in 80mph police chase

Aaron Durkin, 31, was a passenger in a stolen Toyota Yaris that reversed into a police car during a pursuit on the outskirts of Hartlepool.

Just a day earlier, he and an accomplice broke into a man’s works van in Rossmere Way, Hartlepool, late at night and stole tools worth hundreds of pounds.

The two males were caught on CCTV smashing their way into the van in the early hours of May 20 this year.

They stole two nail guns valued at £500 while the cost to repair the window was £600, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Early in the morning the following day, the owner of an orange Toyota Yaris reported it missing.

Police saw it around an hour later on the A179 by Hart village.

Prosecutor Sam Sharp said Durkin was a passenger in the car which was driven at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour in 30mph zones.

At one point it was reversed into a police vehicle to try to get them to back off, but the Yaris suffered damage and police were able to arrest the pair.

Durkin, who has 96 offences on his record, admitted theft of the tools and aggravated vehicle taking.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, stressed Durkin was not the driver and has spent six months in prison on remand.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the chase was sentenced to 13 months and two weeks prison earlier this month.

Durkin, of Challoner Road, Hartlepool, was given 14 months jail and disqualified from driving for 25 months.