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A thief has been jailed after he flipped a stolen car during a high-speed police chase and killed the dog in the boot.
Nicholas Oakland, 30, was convicted of dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, disqualified driving, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, and driving with no insurance, and will spend 19 months behind bars.
The driver, who drove like a "lunatic" according to prosecutors, was also disqualified from driving for three years.
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Police were called to reports that a 4×4 vehicle had been stolen from outside a shop in York on February 24 2022.
The distressed caller said their beloved pet Doberman was still inside the vehicle when it was taken.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) work was performed and the car's owner was able to use a tracking device to help police locate the car as it was driven away.
CCTV operators monitored cameras in and around York to help track the vehicle's movements.
Within 20 minutes North Yorkshire Police were locked in a police pursuit, following the vehicle on the A19 heading towards Selby.
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Oakland was dangerously bobbing and weaving through heavy traffic, driving at speed and nearly causing head-on collisions with other members of the public.
A short time later the Range Rover crashed and rolled into a field and police were then able to arrest Oakland there.
The dog who had been in the car, Jake, managed to escape and ran away from the vehicle when it flipped over.
Once Oakland had been apprehended, a police helicopter set their sights on finding Jake, who had run half a mile from the site of the crash and sustained injuries.
A vet arrived on the scene and treated Jake, but he died of his injuries just weeks after the incident.
Matthew Wilson, the dog's owner, said: "The past few months have been extremely traumatic for our family.
"Jake wasn't simply a family pet but a trained support dog, a companion, and my best friend.
"We continue to miss our boy Jake every day and it still difficult to comprehend the unnecessary injuries and suffering that he had to go through which ultimately resulted him in losing his life.
"We wish to thank North Yorkshire Police for being so supportive and caring during this process and making sure that justice was served for Jake."
Traffic Sergeant Julian Pearson of North Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing group added: "Oakland's driving posed a serious risk to other road users as he drove the stolen vehicle in an appalling way.
"Thankfully with the use of specialist police resources we were able to quickly bring the vehicle to a stop less than 30 minutes after it was reported stolen.
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"He showed no regard for the safety of the family dog that was in the rear of the vehicle.
"It was imperative that we quickly located Jake after the collision and ensured he received immediate veterinary care and returned to his owners.
"This case has touched everyone involved in the investigation and we all wished that Jake made a full recovery from his injuries; sadly this wasn't to be and Jake passed away a few weeks later.
"Jake was a family member, a loved one, and will be dearly missed."
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- Dogs
- Crime
- Injuries
- Police
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