A robber who drove a delivery van across Canterbury in a failed attempt to steal the goods within has been jailed for three years.
Ronnie Mead was traced by Kent Police officers using the van’s tracking device and arrested surrounded by half-opened packages 20 minutes after he had snatched the vehicle’s keys.
The 33-year-old, of Hunton Gardens, pleaded guilty to robbery, taking a motor vehicle without consent and possession of cannabis, and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday 14 June 2022.
Mead originally claimed to have stumbled upon the parcels following his arrest on Thursday 14 April 2022 but could not explain why he was also in possession of a wallet belonging to the driver of the van, who identified Mead as being responsible for the offence.
The victim had been making a delivery in Chaucer Road at around 12.55pm when Mead approached him in an aggressive manner, grabbing him by his top whilst shouting and swearing. He then took the keys to the vehicle, climbed in and drove off despite the man’s best attempts to stop him.
Kent Police was called and officers were provided with details of where the vehicle was travelling, with it eventually coming to a stop in Godden Road where Mead was found and arrested.
Video of arrest
Chief Inspector Mark Hedges, District Commander for Canterbury, said: ‘Ronnie Mead is an opportunistic criminal who thinks nothing of taking things that do not belong to him. Fortunately for us he did not consider that the van he took would have a tracking device on it and lead us right to him.
‘Whilst he initially protested his innocence, even he could see how it looked when we found him just yards from the van and surrounded by packages. He was therefore left with little choice but to admit his crimes and will now serve a considerable length of time behind bars as a result.’