Car thief in threat to ‘batter’ shop worker
Thug demanded keys in town centre store
ASHOP worker was left ‘petrified’ after a thug threatened to ‘batter’ her unless she gave him her car, a court heard.
Keano Byrne, 23, ‘scoped out’ his victim believing her to be unlikely to withstand the threat of assault and followed her into her place of work, a court heard.
A SHOP worker was left ‘petrified’ after a thug threatened to ‘batter’ her unless she gave him her car, a court heard.
Keano Byrne, 23, then tried to get a stranger to hide him as police pursued him.
When he was found in Stockport, Byrne deliberately reversed the car he was in into a police vehicle. An officer was hurt.
Now Byrne has been jailed for seven years.
He was also sentenced after being found in a stolen VW Golf containing a ‘cargo of illicit drugs’ worth more than £3,000 on the streets.
After a police chase, the car ended up on its roof and slid for 50 yards, onlookers said.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard the woman, 20, had parked a short distance away from Stockport town centre, before walking into the shop where she worked at around 9am on April 29.
The next thing she knew, Byrne approached and demanded that she hand over the keys to her Vauxhall Viva.
Prosecutor Tim Storrie said: “She was petrified, and complied,” he added.
Byrne told the woman that if she didn’t hand over the keys ‘I will batter you.’
He sped off in the car, and at one point he approached a member of the public and asked her to ‘hide’ him in her house, which caused her a ‘great deal of stress.’
Byrne was later seen in another area of Stockport and a police officer began to follow.
During the pursuit, Byrne reversed into the car to ‘deliberately cause damage’ to the vehicle.
Shortly after, Byrne broke sharply to cause the police car to go into the back of the stolen Viva.
During the collision, the police officer sustained injuries to his arm, knee and back, and £15,000 worth of damage was caused to his car. The Vauxhall was a write off.
As the chase progressed, Byrne had thrown out quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis, which were recovered by police.
In a statement, the victim said: “I am now too petrified to park anywhere that is out of the way.”
She said this will have a financial impact, as she will only park in secure parking which can prove expensive.
Byrne pleaded guilty to robbery; dangerous driving; assault by beating; driving while disqualified; criminal damage; and possession of heroin, cocaine and cannabis.
In July last year, Byrne was driving a stolen VW Golf, which contained another man, 21-year-old Kyle Warburton.
The Golf crashed into a Vauxhall Corsa, and due to the speed it flipped into its roof and slid for 50 yards, the court heard. The car was written off.
Police discovered the car contained drugs with a street value of £3,430, including more than 200 wraps of heroin, and more than 100 wraps of cocaine.
Mobile phones were seized which showed ‘mass marketing’ text messages were being sent, advertising two different types of drugs and that the seller was able to deliver, Mr Storrie said.
Byrne, of Agnew Road, Gorton, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
He was jailed for a total of seven years.
His barrister Stuart Duke said Byrne apologises for his actions through his guilty plea.
Warburton, a part-time roofer, of Blackberry Lane, Stockport, admitted aggravated vehicle taking. He received a 12 month community order.