Leeds man jailed as over £40,000 of damage caused after van full of alcohol stolen from Tingley depot
A thief who was traced by the trail of smashed beer bottles that had fallen off a truck that he helped steal has been jailed.
Donovan Naylor and Nathan Frier hijacked the truck from a warehouse car park in Tingley before crashing through the hydraulic gates and driving off.
The pair were traced after thousands of pounds worth of beer fell into the street, resulting in the closure of Dewsbury Road.
Naylor, 44, was jailed for his role in the incident, as well as three subsequent thefts of tuna from Farmfoods, at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (August 19) after Frier was sentenced earlier this year.
The court heard that the two men climbed into the compound of Tradeteam Ltd on Topcliffe Lane, Tingley, in the early hours of August 20 last year.
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The van had been left running with the keys in the ignition, and the pair climbed in and drove off, smashing through the hydraulic gates.
Prosecutor Oishee Dey said that £25,000 worth of alcohol was lost from the lorry and that £10,000 of damage was caused to the gates and up to £9,000 to the stolen lorry.
An employee at the depot was able to follow the truck because of the contents being spilled across the road as they drove away. The level of debris “completely blocked” Dewsbury Road and it was closed by ambulance crews.
After workers dialled 999, the officers were deployed to follow the debris until they reached Albert Road in Morley and saw “two shadowy figures” run away from the wagon.
Naylor, who walks with a stick, was arrested by police and Frier was found hiding in a bush nearby.
Naylor told police that he didn’t know Frier and was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”. While the two were in custody, Naylor gave various other excuses while Frier “kept shouting ‘keep your mouth shut’.”
After being charged with one count of theft, criminal damage and theft of a motor vehicle, Frier was released on bail. During this time, in May 2025, he and another accomplice stole tins of tuna from Farmfoods on three separate occasions.
Police attended his address at Albert Drive in Morley and found him “hiding inside a bush”. He admitted all three thefts in police interview.
Naylor was also charged with failing to adhere to his bail terms after not turning up to the previous sentencing hearing, to which he pleaded guilty.
For the defence, Claire Geller said that Naylor has been looking after his partner after she fell down the stairs in June and that, if he was not sent to prison, there was encouragement he would “remain on the straight and narrow”.
Sentencing Naylor, who has 18 previous convictions for 31 offences, His Honour Judge Mairs said he could “have no faith or confidence” that Naylor would stick to his bail terms and sentenced him to 19 months in prison.