Bradford-on-Avon man jailed and disqualified from driving following crime spree

A Bradford-on-Avon man has been jailed after a crime spree last year in which he stole several vehicles and put lives at risk by driving dangerously to avoid police.

Daniel Stacey, 33, of Widbrook View, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday and was sentenced to six months imprisonment and disqualified from driving for three years.

On the afternoon of November 23, officers located an Audi A6 in Wicks car park in Trowbridge which they knew had links to Stacey. When officers approached the vehicle, Stacey drove off at speed. When officers activated their lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle, Stacey failed to do so and a pursuit was authorised. Stacey drove the vehicle along footpaths and the wrong way around the roundabout, forcing other vehicles to take evasive action.

Det Sgt Darren Penny, from Operation Fortitude, said: “Stacey’s manner of driving fell well below the standard of a competent driver and put members of the public in danger. The pursuit was deemed too dangerous to continue and was aborted but fortunately, officers located the vehicle abandoned in a barn the following day.”

On December 4, officers received a report that a Toyota Hilux had been stolen from an address in Devizes. The vehicle was being driven by Stacey. Officers located the vehicle being driven along the A361 towards Frome and attempted to stop it, however Stacey made off at speeds approaching 100mph, turning his lights off in an attempt to evade police. He then performed an emergency stop and attempted to reverse ram the police vehicle. Stacey drove the vehicle into Beckington where he crashed into a wall before hiding under a nearby van where he was arrested.

He was charged with 12 offences of theft, aggravated taking without consent and multiple driving offences for which he was remanded in custody.

Det Sgt Penny added: “These are just two of the incidents for which Stacey was sentenced. We estimate that the vehicles stolen by Stacey had a street value of around £100,000. My team has worked extremely hard to identify who was responsible for the crimes which were committed during a two month period in October and November last year. As a result of our investigation, we have been able to recover four of the stolen vehicles, which were not only stolen from Wiltshire, but also Dorset and Somerset. These vehicles have now been returned to their owners.

“Stacey’s offending would have had a big impact on his victims – it is extremely lucky that nobody was seriously hurt as a result of his manner of driving on our county’s roads during his attempts to evade police.”