Men steal 500 tyres and crash lorry in police pursuit across counties
The pair fled in their own lorry and caused a dangerous police pursuit across three counties, and resulting in a police car smashing into the central motorway reservation. Dean Higgins and Connor Barnett have now been brought to justice over the shocking incident, having been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court. At around 2.45am on December 12 last year, a man was asleep in a heavy goods vehicle in Woolston when he was woken by loud banging coming from the rear trailer.
On inspection, he saw that tyres from his trailer were being unloaded and placed onto another lorry, with around 500 in total being stolen - worth more than ?40,000. Cheshire Police was informed, and the HGV filled with the stolen tyres fled the scene. Officers soon located the vehicle, which was displaying false plates, as it entered Greater Manchester via the M62 from the M6.
Greater Manchester Police joined colleagues from Cheshire Police in a covert pursuit while means to stop the vehicle were put in place. Once the lorry entered the West Yorkshire area, it failed to stop, and a full pursuit was authorised, with support given from a police helicopter. The lorry weaved in and out of traffic between lanes, putting other road users at significant risk of harm as Higgins drove the vehicle in a dangerous manner to avoid the police.
During the pursuit, Higgins collided with a police car, causing it to spin out and crash into the central reservation. Thankfully, the officer in the vehicle only received minor injuries. The pursuit came to an end after the lorry, which was stung earlier in the pursuit, lost control and came to a rest near Bradford.
Higgins and Barnett fled the vehicle as it came to a stop, making off across the opposite carriageway. The two were quickly located however thanks to the assistance of the police helicopter, specialist dog units, and pursuing officers. Higgins, aged 35 and of Winrose Avenue in Leeds, pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, theft, and driving while disqualified.
During the hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, he was jailed for 27 months. Barnett, aged 21 and of Quarry Way in Leeds, was locked up for 14 months after pleading guilty to a charge of theft. 
Following the hearing, PC Philip Raymond, of GMP's roads policing unit, said: "This was a highly challenging and dangerous pursuit that involved colleagues from three different police forces. "The pair stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of tyres and showed recklessness as they fled, including spinning out a GMP officer. "We are fortunate that there were not more serious consequences for their actions.
"The work of Cheshire Police, GMP, and West Yorkshire Police has meant that the pair are now rightly behind bars for their crimes, and this is testament to the commitment and dedication of all police forces." DI David Schofield, of Cheshire Police, added: "This is another fine example of forces working together to catch criminals and put them before the courts. "They certainly got more than they bargained for when they came to Cheshire to steal and thought they could simply get away with it.
"I hope that this sends a message, loud and clear, that we are tireless in our efforts to stop cross-county criminals in their tracks and get justice for victims."