Two Plead Guilty to Burglary at Coleshill Shop
Two plead guilty to burglary at Coleshill shop
A man and a woman have pleaded guilty to a burglary at a business in Parkfield Road, Coleshill.
Appearing at Warwickshire Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (10 April) Darren Whitehouse, 42, of Montpellier Street, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to burglary, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.
Misty Ann O’Hara, 37, of Spondon Grove, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to burglary.
A around 2am on Tuesday (9 April), Whitehouse and O’Hara forced entry to the shop and stole hair products. They fled the scene in a car.
The car was spotted by officers from the Warwickshire Police Operational Policing Unit in Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham. Whitehouse, who was driving the car, failed to stop for the officers.
A pursuit started which saw Whitehouse hitting speeds of 69 miles per hour in residential streets, going through red lights and driving the wrong way around roundabouts.
The car was stopped in Shard End, Birmingham, where O’Hara was arrested.
Whitehouse ran from the car. He was tracked by dogs from West Midlands Police and arrested nearby.
The stolen items were recovered from the car.
Detective Constable Jamie Russell from Warwickshire Police said: “Whitehouse and O’Hara travelled to Coleshill to commit this crime and cause disruption to the local community.
“Whitehouse showed total disregard for the safety of other road users as he hit speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour in residential areas. He can count himself lucky that nobody was injured or worse.
“Thanks to the good work from our Operational Policing Unit and the dog unit from West Midlands Police, Whitehouse and O’Hara were quickly identified and detained.
“I hope this conviction serves as a warning to others thinking of coming to Warwickshire to commit crime.
“Local people can be reassured by how quickly these two offenders were identified, located and brought to justice.”
Whitehouse and O’Hara were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on 16 May.