Knife-point robber jailed after police track stolen car in Doncaster

Joshua Whiteley, aged 22, was one of three men who woke the victim by banging on his door at 4am on 15 October 2022.

They threatened to break into the house and kill the victim if he did not hand over the keys to his Audi.

After he threw the keys from an upstairs window the robbers got into the vehicle and drove off.

Police attended the scene, in Hesley Road, Harworth, Bassetlaw, a short time later and a tracker revealed the car had come to a halt in the Hockley Road industrial estate, Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police, who were investigating an earlier road crash, discovered the car had been burnt out. It was being driven on cloned plates but chassis checks revealed it was the vehicle stolen earlier that day in Harworth.

Officers studies CCTV footage from a nearby petrol station which showed a man buying a jerry can, petrol and a lighter.

Detectives in Nottinghamshire later viewed one of the CCTV still images and were able to identify Whiteley.

Whiteley, of Britannia Road, Morley, Leeds, also admitted an attempted burglary in Buckingham Court, Harworth, when another victim was threatened with a knife.

The victim’s patio door was smashed but the offenders left empty handed.

Whiteley was jailed for 12 years and nine months at Nottingham Crown Court when he appeared for sentencing today (29 June).

He had earlier pleaded guilty to robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, arson and attempted burglary.

Detective Constable Andrew Brownless, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Both incidents must have been extremely frightening for the victims.

“Thankfully robberies like this are very rare but when they happen we investigate with all the tools available to us.

“In this case we worked closely with colleagues in another force in order to trace the car and identify Whiteley. Cross county-border cooperation like this is vital in bringing criminals to justice.

"I'm pleased with the sentence handed down to Whiteley and I hope this provides reassurance to his victims and other members of the public."

Passing sentence, Judge Julie Warburton praised Nottinghamshire Police for their rapid response to both incidents.