An opportunist criminal who jumped into a delivery driver’s van and attempted to drive off has been jailed.
Jamie Kettle, had watched the delivery driver leave his van unoccupied at around 2.45pm on 2 October 2021, as he went to place a parcel on a doorstep before running and jumping into the driver’s side and attempting to drive away.
Kettle, who had waited for the driver to leave his vehicle in Shrewsbury Road, Worksop, was only rumbled thanks to a passing motorist who pressed his horn to alert the delivery driver that he was attempting to steal his van.
Placing it in gear he then attempted to drive away, getting around three metres down the road before the victim took a hold of the steering wheel to get him to stop and pull over.
After stalling the van and hitting a kerb, Kettle then ran away, leaving his victim shocked and reeling from what he had just been a victim to.
Police quickly attended the scene after receiving the report and swiftly located the suspect a few streets away.
After being arrested, Kettle was then reported to have spat in the back of the police van, leaving spit all over the floor.
Kettle who pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent and criminal damage to property appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 18 February.
The 35-year-old, of Queen Street, Worksop, was jailed for a total of 34 weeks.
Detective Inspector Nick Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an incredibly distressing incident for the victim who was just going about his day job and understandably left him scared and shaken.
“This type of opportunist behaviour is utterly unacceptable and not only did Kettle take the van without consent he then later went on to behave in a way that showed a complete lack of respect towards our officers.
“We’ve made it perfectly clear that we take any incidents of spitting extremely seriously not only is it disgusting and has a lot of health concerns but it costs people’s time and money to clean it up and can take a police van which is a vital piece of equipment off the roads while it is thoroughly cleaned.
“These sorts of offences can have a severe impact on victims and cause a great deal of distress and that is why we will always do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice.
“Officers in this instance acted quickly to investigate and locate Kettle and it’s thanks to their hard work and the investigation that we were able to apprehend him and haul him up in front of the courts.
“I hope his time behind bars will make him reevaluate his decisions and the impact his actions can have on victims.”
