Mold man jailed after stealing car and van in early morning crime spree

A man who stole a car and a van in Mold over the weekend has been jailed after causing significant damage to both vehicles and committing a series of related offences.

Ryan Seaman, 27, of Maes y Dre, Mold, took the vehicles without consent from addresses in Pen y Bryn and Hawthorn Avenue in the early hours of Sunday, 26 January.

At around 5.30am, he drove a stolen car to the Esso service station in Mold, where he filled it with fuel and took alcohol from the shop without attempting to pay.

When challenged, he fled on foot towards Mold, abandoning the heavily damaged vehicle on the forecourt.

Just 50 minutes earlier, Seaman had visited the same service station and attempted to use a bank card belonging to the car’s owner to purchase over £50 worth of items.

At 7.45am, he was arrested on Parc Avenue while driving a stolen van, which had also been significantly damaged.

Seaman was charged with two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, shoplifting, making off without payment, and fraud by false representation.

He was also charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis, as well as driving without a licence or insurance.

He admitted all offences and was sentenced to 60 weeks in prison at Mold Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 28 January.

He was also banned from driving for four and a half years and fined £187.

Ricky Richardson, 40, of Maes y March, Mold, has been charged with being carried in one of the stolen vehicles and a shoplifting offence. He is due to appear before Mold Magistrates Court on Friday, 28 February.

Inspector Iwan Jones said: “Seaman is a prolific offender, and I hope his swift arrest and subsequent sentencing will bring a degree of relief to many in the local community, and particularly the victims involved in these incidents.

“We take such incidents very seriously and will relentlessly pursue those who cause the most harm.”