Heroes raced to halt van thief, court told

GLASGOW residents raced to the rescue to chase down a Castlemilk man who attempted to steal a transit van.

John Richford, 36, jumped into the insecure motor in Blaeloch Drive and tried to make a quick getaway.

However, he only managed to travel a short distance before hopping out to make his escape on foot.

Hardy members of the public managed to catch up and hold on to him until he broke free and bolted.

The police attended and spoke to witnesses.

From the descriptions given, Richford was traced at his home in Holmbyre Road and taken to Cathcart Police Station where he refused to give two breath samples to ascertain his ability to drive or proportion of alcohol in his breath.

When finally arrested and charged, he branded the officers “f**king scumbags”.

At court, Richford admitted stealing the transit and driving without insurance on July 10 last year.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to provide two specimens of breath at the station without a reasonable excuse.

The defence agent claimed that Richford had a history of abusing alcohol and could not “remember much of what happened”.

He admitted it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, adding that the accused tended to “keep himself to himself”.

Sheriff Lindsay Wood questioned why Richford was adverse to unpaid work, indicating that custody was at the forefront of his mind.

It was explained that the accused suffered from panic attacks and expected the unpaid hours to be hard going.

Sheriff Wood asked Richford if he was still drinking, to which the defendant replied: “Not as much.”

The sheriff highlighted that the accused’s criminal record did him no favours, but decided that a community-based disposal would be beneficial.

Sheriff Wood stated: “I think it will be good for you, give you purpose.

“I’ll give you a chance, but you need to take the chance.”

Richford was sentenced to a Restriction of Liberty Order for three months in which he will have to remain indoors between the hours of 10.30pm and 6am.

He was also handed a Community Payback Order with supervision for 12 months, 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed within six months, and directed to attend alcohol counselling.

In addition, he was also disqualified from driving for two years and had his licence endorsed.