Metal thief is locked up after high-speed Wolverhampton chase

Kevin Pedley floored the accelerator of his Peugeot when caught red handed with £1,000 worth of lead stripped from a factory showroom roof in Wolverhampton minutes earlier, a judge heard.

The 34-year-old was spotted hiding outside the Ideal Products works in Lower Walsall Street, Horseley Fields, when police arrived after an early morning tip that it had been targeted by thieves,Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The defendant and another man saw the officers arrive at the scene and sprinted to the parked Peugeot, which had a boot full of lead taken from the roof of one of the company’s buildings, said Mr Rupert Jones, prosecuting.

Pedley roared away at twice the 30mph speed limit, veered onto the wrong side of the road and careered over speed humps at more than 50mph as the chase wound through narrow residential streets at 2.15am on July 20 last year, the prosecutor added.

The Peugeot also went the wrong way round a traffic island before starting to drive on the opposite side of the carriageway down Willenhall Road away from Wolverhampton city centre, forcing police to abandon the pursuit because it had become too dangerous, the court heard.

The defendant and his accomplice were arrested soon afterwards after being seen walking in the area, close to the spot where they had dumped the Peugeot. Ideal Products estimate the stolen lead was worth between £800 and £1,000.

Pedley, who had 24 previous convictions involving 84 separate offences, was at a low point when the theft and chase occured because his daughter had been taken into care, said Miss Alison Downs, defending.

She added: “His mind was mixed up and he was at the bottom of the spiral.”

She conceded Pedley had ‘issues’ with cars but maintained his involvement in the crime had been restricted to ‘sitting in the car and driving.’

Pedley from Clinton Road, Bilston, pleaded guilty to theft of the lead, dangerous driving and having neither insurance nor a valid driving licence.

He was jailed for two years one month and banned from driving for three years on release by Recorder Jason MacAdam who told him: “You have an appalling criminal record that almost exclusively involves either driving offences or dishonesty.

“You presented an obvious and immediate danger to the general public in the Peugeot and the police officers chasing you.

“You are a sufficiently experienced criminal to know that if you drive the wrong way down a dual carriageway a police pursuit will be abandoned.”

His accomplice admitted burglary and was dealt with by a different court.