Gosport man behind bars after being caught stealing car and hiding in garden from police in Romsey
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A MAN from Gosport who stole a car and tried to escape police by hiding in a garden has been jailed.
George Peter Berry, 29, has been put behind bars for several driving offences and has had his driving disqualification extended. Officers patrolling the Romsey area found a stolen vehicle travelling towards West Wellow on Sunday.
A statement from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers used pre-emptive tactics at Greatbridge service station to try and stop the vehicle.
The car was travelling along Fishlake Meadows and Robert Whitworth Drive before Berry, of Brockhurst Road, made a run for it in a bid to evade capture.
He left the vehicle and tried to hide in someone’s garden. Officers spotted him in the shrubbery and made the arrest. Police said: ‘The vehicle continued along Fishlake Meadows and Robert Whitworth Drive – where the driver decamped before being located by officers hiding in a nearby garden of a residential property.
‘George Peter Berry, aged 29, of Brockhurst Road in Gosport was subsequently arrested and charged with taking a vehicle without consent, driving whilst disqualified and driving without third-party insurance.’
Berry appeared before Southampton Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to all offences – taking a vehicle without consent, driving whilst disqualified and driving without third-party insurance.
Berry has been jailed for 12 weeks and has had his driving ban increased by a further 19 months. He has also been order to pay for court costs – a total of £85 – and a £154 victim surcharge.