Louis Vuitton – Teen stole Range Rover keys after causing horror car crash
A TEENAGER stole keys to a Range Rover from a Warrington business while awaiting his fate for a car crash which left his friend with horrific internal injuries.
Arrogant Thomas Ward, from Wythenshawe, boasted about his ability to evade police before smashing his then girlfriend’s car into a tree.
He also stole a bike from a 13-year-old boy while he was waiting to cross a busy road in Orford, despite being on bail for the crash.
The now 21-year-old appeared at Preston Crown Court via video link from HMP Forest Bank in Salford almost two years after the first occurred, where a custodial sentence was imposed.
Prosecutor Denise Fitzpatrick told the court how the first offences involved causing serious injury by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and theft, which took place between April 3 and 4, 2018.
Aged 18 at the time, he stole his girlfriends Louis Vuitton handbag, which was worth £500, its contents of £700 in cash and £1,000 worth of make-up, and the keys to her black Seat Leon car after spending the night at her flat.
Despite being uninsured to drive the vehicle, he drove to a friend’s house and suggested they go for a day out in Blackpool.
They stayed over in a bed and breakfast after being joined by other friends, and all five were on their way home in the stolen car the following day at 12.45pm.
The vehicle came to the attention of police on the M61 near Chorley. It was raining heavily, spray made visibility ‘very poor’, and while most road users had headlights on, Ward’s were turned off.
Thomas Ward was sentenced at Preston Crown Court
Aware of police in pursuit of him, the defendant began weaving in and out of traffic and reached speeds in excess of 100mpoh.
His friends screamed at him to stop, to which he replied: “They can’t catch me.”
One passenger was so scared they tried to exit the vehicle while it was moving, but the child locks were switched on. The defendant even tried to climb into the back seat while driving, but he was pushed back behind the wheel.
It was at this point that he collided with a small truck, lost control, veered off up an embankment and crashed into a tree.
Extensive damage was caused to the car, the front seat passenger unconscious and the passenger in the central rear seat, aged just 21, sustained severe internal injuries.
He was taken to hospital, where he spent three days in intensive care. He lost his right kidney, gallbladder and part of his pancreas, small intestine, duodenum, suffered broken ribs and underwent an emergency laparotomy.
Such was the devastating impact of the crash, he had to rely on others for daily tasks, was left with a 12inch scar and had to abandon his goal of joining the army.
This was not the end of Ward’s offending however, as he carried out a ‘sneak’ burglary at Warrington Quasar, based in Evans House on Norman Street.
Shortly after 5pm on March 15, 2019, the defendant walked in as if he was a customer, entered the private staff office and took a set of keys from a handbag.
Keys to a Range Rover were stolen from a business in Evans House in Norman Street (Image: Google Maps)
He was caught on CCTV in the premises, with the keys linked to a Range Rover Evoque valued at £35,000.
The vehicle, which was driven away, was later recovered and returned to the owner, but she had to pay £810 to have damage repaired.
Then, on September 19, 2019, Ward stole a £400 bike from a 13-year-old boy cycling near St Benedict’s Church in Orford.
At 5.40pm while waiting to cross Orford Lane, the boy heard two men shouting behind him. The defendant grabbed the handlebars of the bike and ordered the victim to get off, saying that the bike belonged to his mate.
Scared for his safety, the boy obliged and the defendant rode off, not before being recognised by a witness who told the police.
Ms Fitzpatrick revealed that Ward had 11 previous convictions for 33 offences dating back to when he was 13.
In defence of his client, Stephen Tettey spoke of how Ward pleaded guilty to the offences and has shown ‘genuine remorse’.
He added: “With all the offences, the defendant didn’t think things through properly or think about the full consequences of his actions.”
Judge David Potter sentenced Ward to three years imprisonment, disqualified him from driving for four and a half years and ordered him to pass an extended test before driving again.
Louis Vuitton – Teen stole Range Rover keys after causing horror car crash
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