Man jailed after joyride in police van

A man took a marked police van from outside a police station and went on an erratic joyride after he found it had been left with the keys in the ignition and the engine running, a court has heard.
Man jailed after joyride in police vanMan jailed after joyride in police van
Man jailed after joyride in police van

Sean Warman, 28, took the Vauxhall van from outside Lowestoft Police Station on November 10 and Suffolk Police found it abandoned 15 miles away in Bungay at around 1am the next day.

He turned on the vehicle's blue lights and pulled over an unsuspecting motorist and demanded money from them while posing as a police officer, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Thursday.

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Warman was jailed for 25 months after he admitted a series of offences including aggravated vehicle taking and two counts of impersonating a police officer.

Man jailed after joyride in police vanMan jailed after joyride in police van
Man jailed after joyride in police van

He also admitted to the thefts of Indian takeaway food and £50 from a motorist, and driving without insurance and while disqualified.

Judge Martyn Levett said Warman walked into a pub in Bungay after the incident and was heard to say: "I'm f*****, I'm going to prison. I've stolen a police van."

Prosecutor Stephen Mather said the van had been left outside the police station with its keys in the ignition and the engine running to charge a flat battery.

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Warman, who previously worked for turkey producer Bernard Matthews, took the van and stole an Indian meal from delivery driver Syamash Parayil.

The judge said police found the abandoned vehicle in a car park in Bungay with an "overwhelming stench of Indian food wafting out of the van" after the takeaway had spilt.

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He said the van was damaged with dents and scuff marks, the smashed remains of a police radio was found and the glove box was open.

Officers received multiple reports of the van driving erratically during the course of the evening, Judge Levett said, and Warman activated the blue lights to pull one driver over.

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Warman stopped Marian Muntenu and "spoke to him using what could only be described as a perceived position of authority to obtain £50", said Judge Levett.

The judge said Warman asked the motorist, who had not been drinking: "Are you drunk? Give me £30 and I will let you off this time. You don't want to lose your licence do you?"

Judge Levett added: "Such is the respect for the police in Suffolk that this person handed over £50," noting that the initial demand for £30 had been upped.

He said the motorist had only lived in England for three years and was "shocked".

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Warman also approached a resident who came out of their house in Holton and, with the police van parked nearby, asked the person for drugs, the judge said.

The resident initially thought it was a police officer "testing his veracity", before becoming suspicious.

Judge Levett told the defendant: "This undermines the honesty and integrity of our police force and it destroys public confidence in their strongly held beliefs that officers in this county are honest.

"It might lead to their future lack of co-operation in future matters of investigation."

He jailed Warman, of Park Road, Lowestoft, for 25 months, disqualified him from driving for three years and ordered him to pay compensation of £50 to Mr Muntenu and £42 for the stolen takeaway food.