Two men have been sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison after a report of robbery in Stockton earlier this year that ended with them ramming into a police car in a busy residential street.

Craig Roddam, 33, of no fixed address was convicted of robbery and the theft of a Mondeo, while Stephen Swainston, 37, of Bishopton Court in Stockton, was convicted of robbery and admitted dangerous driving at Teesside Crown Court on Monday, October 31.

On April 30 this year, a 26-year-old man was robbed on Wrensfield Road whilst out walking his dog.

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A knife was used to threaten him, and the two men made off with his bag, containing a phone and car keys.

The following day, on May 1, a Ford Mondeo was stolen from a Good Samaritan who had offered Roddam a lift after spotting him pushing another broken down car.

The car was taken on a high-speed pursuit, ending with a head-on collision into a police vehicle on Bishopton Road.

Only minor injuries were suffered by officers inside the vehicle.

Both men made off from the vehicle and were later arrested and charged.

Detective Constable Kev Middleton, from Stockton CID, said: “I am pleased with these sentences and pleased that Swainston and Roddam will now spend a significant time behind bars.

“I’d like to pay tribute to both victims, particularly the first who was threatened and both supported police action and the judicial proceedings afterwards.”

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