A REDDITCH man took revenge on his former employers for getting rid of him by letting himself into their Studley premises and taking a pick-up truck – despite not being able to drive.
And, not knowing what he was doing, Sean Devlin crashed and then made off from the scene, a judge at Warwick Crown Court heard.
Devlin, 29 of Martley Close, Woodrow, pleaded guilty to burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, having no licence, having no insurance, and failing to stop after an accident.
He was jailed for ten months after Judge Peter Cooke, who also banned him from driving for two years and five months, said there had been ‘an element of revenge’ to the offences.
The court heard Devlin had been employed at CSJ Windows in Studley until being dismissed earlier this year.
Prosecutor Olivia Appleby said that on the evening of April 28 Devlin arrived at the firm’s premises and was able to get in and disabled the alarm.
He took the key to a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up and drove to Redditch where he was involved in a minor collision in Wells Close in Hunt End.
A couple, alerted by the noise, saw the pick-up ‘nose to nose’ with a blue Mercedes and Devlin standing by the vehicles.
He got back into the Mitsubishi and drove it into the Mercedes before speeding away, but then returned, got out of the pick-up and staggered away from the scene.
Devlin, who the court heard had a number of previous convictions including five for burglary, five for robbery and five for vehicle interference, was later arrested.
Judge Peter Cooke said: “Given how recently he had been dismissed, it suggests there seems to be an element of revenge.”
He added: “He was seen staggering, and when interviewed he admitted he was drunk, but no-one has seen fit to charge him with driving while unfit through drink.”
Theresa Hunt, defending, acknowledged that Devlin ‘struggled to explain his motivation’.
But she said two weeks previously Devlin’s father had died unexpectedly at his home of a massive heart attack, and he’d been out drinking.
“He had gone there to get a jacket from when he worked there. He can’t explain his actions in taking the vehicle. He is extremely sorry for what he did.”
Miss Hunt said Devlin had ‘turned a corner’ after his earlier offending, had a stable relationship and a young son, and had kept out of trouble for some time and asked the judge to consider a suspended sentence.
But Judge Cooke thought otherwise and jailed Devlin.
