Thieves stole car and embarked on an 18-mile joyride

A DRUG-DRIVING teenage thief who wrecked a stolen car after an 18-mile joyride was described by police as driving "extremely erratically" at speeds of up to 60mph in a 20mph urban area.

- by OLIVIER VERGNAULT

At a hearing at Truro Crown Court on May 7 Christopher Almand, from Cunnack Close in Helston, was sentenced to eight months in a young offender institution and banned from driving for a year.

The court heard he and his accomplice Edward Jefferson-Coode, armed with a selection of tools including a hammer, had smashed a window to gain access to the Flora Motors garage in Helston on the morning of June 7 last year.

They stole a bunch of car keys from the office and took one of the garage's courtesy cars, a Toyota Aygo.

With Almand behind the wheel and Jefferson-Coode in the passenger seat they headed towards Penzance, but had been spotted leaving by an employee of the garage, who called the police.