Sainsbury's van crashed by thief
A drunken thief who wrecked a supermarket van that was desperately needed to deliver food during the coronavirus lockdown has been put behind bars.
Darren Thoburn jumped behind the wheel of a Sainbury'svehicleoutsidethestore inWashingtonwhilethedriver was tending to a spillage in the car park last June.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the 34-year-old, who was three times the drinkdrivelimit"spedoff"inthevan, drove onto a track area where he"narrowlymissed"threepedestrians and finally crashed into a tree.
When the van was recovered one of the wheels was down to the rim and a total of £4,500 of damage had been caused to it.
Prosecutor Anthony Petengell told the court the impactofsuchtheftsonanational business would ordinarily be relatively small.
Butheadded:"Atthetimeof thetheft,wewereinthemiddle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Theonlineordersideofthe businessmeanteveryavailable vehicle was needed in order to processordersandkeepmembers
of the public stocked up with vital supplies.
"Being down a vehicle as a result of the theft had a dramatic impact on the service they were able to provide."
Thoburn, of Cairo Street, Sunderland, who has 127 offences on his record, admitted aggravatedvehicletaking,dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving with excess alcohol and having no insurance.
He also admitted burglary after he smashed his way into Olivia's coffee house in Washington during an overnight raid.
The coffee shop break-in, where he caused £1,000 of damage, happened four days before he took the Sainsbury's
van.
Judge Robert Adams sentenced Thoburn to a total of 12 months behind bars with a three-and-a-half-year road ban.
The judge told him: "All vehicleswereneededtodeliverto people during the pandemic.
"One vehicle out of action causedsignificantdisruption."
Tony Cornberg, defending, said Thoburn has stayed out of troublesincehecommittedthe offences last summer and has started an exercise and health regime with a plan of finding a new home and getting back into work.
Mr Cornberg said: "He seems to have turned a corner and started taking care of himself."