Two men have admitted stealing a motorhome from the Lake District which was successfully stopped within hours by police in the North East who used a helicopter and dogs during a dramatic night time pursuit.
Patrick Young, 33, and 20-year-old Rhys Anthony Robert Wilkinson appeared at Carlisle Crown Court this morning.
During a short hearing in front of Judge Nicholas Barker, both men admitted they stole a man’s Ford motorhome during the early hours of October 9.
The vehicle had been taken from the Portinscale area, near Keswick.
Wilkinson also pleaded guilty to driving the motorhome dangerously on the A19 in County Durham on the same date.
It is said by the prosecution that the motorhome was repeatedly reversed into collision with a police vehicle during the incident.
Prosecutor Tim Evans told the court police had blocked the driver’s door after stopping the motorhome.
Young had emerged from the passenger side first, followed by Wilkinson who was confirmed as the driver “by process of elimination”.
In the aftermath of the incident, a post on the Northumbria Police Road Safety Twitter account read: “Stolen motorhome from Cumbria. Stopped by Northumbria and Durham RPU in Hartlepool using tactics, 90 minutes after the reported theft. With the help of the helicopter and two agile dogs, two suspects in custody. Team Work!”
Young, of Firlands, and Wilkinson, of Coalfell Avenue, both Carlisle, appeared in court, side by side, over a video link from custody.
Their case was adjourned by Judge Barker, who told the pair they would be sentenced in due course.
The judge had observed the two men had been left with “little choice” but to admit their guilt.
In the meantime, Young and Wilkinson will remain in custody.
