Burglary lookout jailed at Teesside Crown Court after helping to steal Hartlepool taxi

Peter Clark, 47, kept watch while his accomplice in crime broke into a house in Oxford Road, Hartlepool, overnight in August.

The cabbie put the car keys on top of an oven next to another set after returning home and going to bed.

Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, said: “But when he came downstairs the following morning about 9.30am he discovered both sets of keys missing and his car had been stolen.”

CCTV footage from the area showed Clark outside the property at 6am while the other man quickly went inside and came out with something in his hands which he gave to Clark.

"Mr Clark was on a bicycle on the pavement keeping lookout,” said Ms Lamballe.

Less then five hours later, police spotted the stolen taxi being driven by Clark and two passengers.

Ms Lamballe added: “He drove away from officers ignoring their requests to stop the vehicle. There was a short pursuit.”

All three made off on foot but Clark and his co-accused were arrested, while a third male got away.

Clark pleaded guilty to offences of burglary, taking the taxi without consent, and driving without a licence or insurance.

The taxi driver said he no longer felt safe in his home following the break-in.

Martin Scarborough, mitigating for Clark, said he did not have a bad record for burglary and has been able to keep out of trouble for long periods of time in the past.

"He’s not normally someone who offends in this way,” said Mr Scarborough.

Clark was last in court in 2021 for supplying heroin to undercover police.

He claimed he was frightened of his alleged accomplice in the burglary although the judge said he saw no proof of that.

Judge Howard Crowson said: “It seems to me this was clearly burgling somebody’s home in order to steal a car.

"It was done as the taxi driver slept upstairs. It must be an immediate prison sentence.”

Clark, of Keswick Street, Hartlepool, was jailed for 19 months.