Adam Romani, 26, and Jordan Thackary, 23, his 85mph in police chase after stealing quad bike from farm

Adam Romani, 26, and Jordan Thackary, 23, were reported to police while in the process of burgling a building at School Cote Farm, Brow Lane, Halifax, on January 19 last year.

Prosecutor Chloe Fairley told Bradford Crown Court that officers were given details of a white Transit van seen at the scene, with the vehicle then spotted around 25 minutes later heading towards Bradford on Halifax Road.

Police indicated for the van to stop and after initially doing so, it then rammed a police car in a bid to escape.

A chase ensued, with Romani, who was driving the van, reaching speeds of up to 85mph in a 30mph limit.

During the pursuit, which also took in roads including Rooley Lane and Sticker Lane, Romani ran a red light, overtook cars on the wrong side of the road, and drove around bollards forcing other drivers to take evasive action.

The pair, who were wearing balaclavas and gloves, eventually ditched the van and tried to escape on foot. They were detained and on searching the vehicle, which had false number plates, officers found the quad bike inside.

Romani, of New Line, Greengates, Bradford, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and dangerous driving.

Thackary, of Findon Terrace, Bradford, who the court heard had changed his surname by deed poll to Pemberton, admitted the burglary offence.

The court heard that Romani’s offending pre-dated his sentencing for an attempted burglary in March last year, for which he received a 13-month suspended sentence, meaning he was on bail at the time of the January incident.

Mark McKone, mitigating, said a further suspended sentence could be justified in Romani’s case as he had already served six weeks in custody and been trouble-free since his release in March.

He argued his client had “turned his life around”, stating that he had completed a six-month drug rehabilitation order, was now free of class A drugs, and had work available in his step-father’s contracting business.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Neil Davey QC said: “One night you decided to go out and burgle and you equipped yourself with a transit van.”

He gave Thackary, who had no previous convictions, a four-month sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered him to complete a 15-day rehabilitation requirement and a three-month curfew.

Judge Davey said he was prepared to suspend Romani’s ten-month jail term for a year due to the progress made on his previous suspended sentence order and his time spent in custody.

He said: “It is a strong mitigating factor that you have been addressing your behaviour. It seems you have put behind you the drug-taking that has blighted your life.”

Romani must also complete a 15-day rehabilitation requirement and a three-month curfew, and will be banned from driving for a year.