Jail for Cross-Border Criminals Who Carried Out a Series of Crimes in Ryedale

Police release dramatic footage of police vehicles being reverse rammed as the suspects evaded arrest.

Cross-border criminals have been jailed after carrying out a series of burglaries and vehicle thefts in Ryedale.

Charlie Maurice Dunn, aged 25, of Heathfield Drive, Hartlepool, and Jack Setchell, aged 23, of Seaton Lane, Hartlepool, were sentenced to four years and six months and four years’ imprisonment respectively at York Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 7 March 2023).

Dunn pleaded guilty to one house burglary, three farm building burglaries, one theft of a quad bike, three aggravated taking of vehicles and assaulting an emergency worker, a police officer.

Setchell pleaded guilty to one house burglary, three farm building burglaries, one theft of a quad bike, and two aggravated taking of vehicles.

They have also been banned from driving for five years and three months and five years respectively, and both must do extended driving tests.

Kieran Connor, aged 19, of Quilstyle Road, Wheatley Hill, County Durham, was also involved in the incidents

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last month. The Judge acknowledged his low intelligence and that he had been encouraged to commit the crimes.

Connor was handed a three-year community order with 300 hours’ unpaid work and 50 days’ rehabilitative activities. He is banned from driving for 12 months and must take an extended driving test before driving alone again. The Judge told him he faces a two-year prison sentence if he fails to comply with the sentence conditions.

The four incidents and major police search and pursuit operation occurred in Amotherby, Great Habton, Little Habton, Kirby Misperton and Slingsby between 2.30am and 8.30am on Thursday 2 June 2022.

A quadbike with a crop sprayer attached and Ford Fiesta car were taken from the first property following a two-in-one burglary where they broke in and took the keys.

The owners, who saw a white Transit van nearby and thought their quadbike may have been placed inside it, carried out their own search in another car while the police were alerted to the scene.

They spotted the Fiesta at around 3am when it was being driven towards them. It rammed into their car when they attempted to block the road.

The Fiesta came to a halt and three men ran off towards the River Rye. The victims bravely ran after the suspects and managed to catch up with one of them, but he was able to get away.

While the victims were updating the attending officers and recovery was being arranged for the Fiesta, a report came in at 5.45am of a white Ford Transit being stolen from a property at Great Habton. An area search involving officers from the Roads Policing Group, the Firearms Support Unit and Response teams got underway.

At just after 7am, a traffic cop in an unmarked car spotted the stolen Transit van heading east towards the A169 on Kirby Misperton Road, at Kirby Misperton. It had three people inside, no front registration plate, and was towing an orange wood-chipper which became detached when the van turned onto the A169 towards Pickering.

It transpired that the suspects had earlier broken into a compound at a local holiday park and made off with tools, machinery and the wood-chipper which had a defective tow hitch.

The Transit van turned around and stopped for the suspects to retrieve the machine. At which point the officer approached the vehicle on foot and instructed Dunn, the driver, to get out. However, Dunn started the engine and accelerated away while the officer was holding his arm through the open door. This caused a minor graze and bruising to the officer’s arm.

A pursuit began and the officer’s unmarked vehicle was reverse rammed twice by Dunn as he tried to head back along Kirby Misperton Lane.

Another traffic cop joined the pursuit and the Transit van reversed into the marked police car which became too damaged to drive.

With the original traffic cop in pursuit and more officers on the way including the Firearms Support Unit and a Dog Unit, the van sped off past The Grapes pub in Great Habton and onto a narrow track.

It smashed through a metal gate into fields to the south of the village where it goes out of sight, but it was now in an area that was quickly surrounded by officers in every direction.

A patrol team noticed the van stuck in the corner of the field near the hedgerow, but the police dog could not be sent in as there were loose horses in the field. Officers made their way to the van where they found it to be abandoned at 7.40am. Foot tracks could be seen heading towards the north-west end of Little Habton.

Immediately after the van was located, two Firearms Support Unit vehicles get behind a black BMW X3 with three people inside on Great Habton Lane heading south towards Neasham Bridge where more police units are positioned.

The BMW, driven by Setchell, fails to stop and both police vehicles are damaged after being reverse rammed.

It makes off south to the B1257 and then goes straight over a junction and up a gravel track in the direction of Coneysthorpe.

The BMW goes out of sight, but it is briefly spotted on Castle Howard Road heading towards Slingsby and the pursuit continues.

Sadly, a collision occurred at 7.50am between a Firearms Support Unit vehicle and another car which comes from a junction onto the B1257.

While not directly connected to the fleeing vehicle, the collision involved a police unit which was part of the operation. An ambulance was called to the scene to check the occupants of both vehicles. Thankfully the injuries were minor.

Just before 8am, a report is made to the police of a vehicle crashing through a fence off Sycamore Close in Slingsby with three men running off.

Officers respond to further calls to the Force Control Room and witnesses who point them towards a field at the end of the campsite on Railway Street.

Connor was arrested after being found crouched in a bush behind a water treatment plant.

Moments later, the Dog Unit located Dunn and Setchell near Slingsby Village Hall where they were arrested at 8.30am.

Detectives carried out an extensive investigation to piece together the series of incidents to secure justice against the three suspects. This included house-to-house, CCTV and forensic enquiries at each location and the examination of each vehicle that was recovered. They also had to assess thousands of pounds worth of tools, machinery and other items that were found in the vehicles, end ensure that the victims were kept up to date throughout the investigation and court proceedings.

Detective Constable Abbi Symes, from the Scarborough Investigation Hub, said:

“The series of crimes committed by Dunn, Setchell and Connor on the morning of 2 June last year are shocking and disgraceful.

“Not only did they ruthlessly target rural communities in Ryedale without any hint of remorse, they also endangered the lives of police officers who were called in to help the burglary and vehicle theft victims.

“In the wrong hands a motor vehicle can be a deadly weapon, and it is plain to see that Dunn and Setchell were more than willing to reverse ram the police vehicles in their effort to evade arrest and escape justice.

“Despite the extensive upset, anger and damage they inflicted that morning, North Yorkshire Police would not let them get away with it.

“Dunn and Setchell are now facing up to the reality of life in prison, and Connor has been made subject to the most severe community order for his role in the offences.

“Our message is clear to other cross-border criminals that they enter North Yorkshire and the City of York at their peril.

“We will do everything in our power to keep our communities safe and secure.”