Jail for prolific burglar who led police on high-speed chase
The 33-year-old carried out an eight-day spree of thefts in Brighton and Hove
A man who carried out a spree of burglaries, thefts and criminal damage in Brighton and Hove is starting a prison sentence of more than seven years.
Daniel Laverty led police on a dangerous, high speed chase along the A23 following one of his incidents, in which he stole a car from a property in Hove in January.
The Kia Sportage was pursued by cars and the NPAS helicopter on January 15th before crashing.
Laverty was arrested at the scene and released on conditional bail while enquiries continued.
Two days later, Laverty and an accomplice embarked on a stealing spree across Brighton and Hove, starting with damage and theft from a vehicle in Gordon Close, a burglary in Rutland Gardens – during which a car was stolen – and another burglary at a property in Clermont Terrace.
The offenders were interrupted during one of the burglaries by a woman who went downstairs to find them in her house, while her two children and a friend slept upstairs.
She chased them from the building, where she was threatened with violence.
Laverty, who is 33 years old and of Maskelyn Close in Battersea, was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of burglary, three counts of theft, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, theft from a motor vehicle, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and possession of Class A drugs.
At Hove Trial Centre July 26th Laverty pleaded or was found guilty of all charges, except one count of theft which was discontinued and entered as not guilty.
Throughout the trial Laverty claimed to have no knowledge of any of the burglaries or vehicle thefts, despite being captured on doorbell footage at the scene of one of the crimes.
He was sentenced on the same day to seven and a half years in prison.
Detective Constable Josh Bellamy said:
“Daniel Laverty hoped that a jury would believe his lies - that he was an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time, attempting to paint himself as just as helpless as his victims.
“I am pleased that those lies were not believed. He has been rightly convicted for what was a selfish spree targeting innocent people in their homes."