Leeds teenage dad crashed stolen car after burgling Morley house

A young Leeds dad who burgled a house then crashed a stolen car after being pursued by police.
John Lowther.John Lowther.
John Lowther.

John Lowther, 18, broke into a house in Digpal Road, Morley, in the middle of the day on March 27, 2019.

-> First pictures released of Sheffield child murderers Sarah Barrass and Brandon MachinHe was accompanied by Joe Coates, 19, and a 13-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons.

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The trio broke into the unoccupied house by forcing open a rear kitchen window before taking gold sovereign coins, a watch, a purse and clothes.

Digpal Road, where the trio burgled a house (Photo: Google).Digpal Road, where the trio burgled a house (Photo: Google).
Digpal Road, where the trio burgled a house (Photo: Google).

The Vauxhall Corsa used in the burglary had been stolen from Beeston in February and had false number plates, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Neighbours alerted the police and the group were caught on CCTV getting in and out of the car.

Anthony Moore, prosecuting, said: "There was something of a pursuit, with the vehicle driven at speed."

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The Corsa, driven by Lowther, hit some bollards and the trio tried to escape on foot.

Lowther, of Cottingley Springs Caravan Park, Morley, was arrested after a short chase and Coates was found hiding in some nearby bushes.

Most of the stolen goods, except the coins, were recovered by police.

Lowther, a father of a one-year-old child, was locked up for two years for the burglary, driving the stolen car and two separate offences by Judge Rodney Jameson QC, and was banned from driving for 12 months.

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-> Owner's shock as burglars break through STONE wall to rob Leeds makeup businessHe was also charged with handling a stolen vehicle - an Audi Q5 worth £8,500 - which was stolen during a burglary in Oulton on January 21, 2019.

It was found abandoned in Armley with false number plates and traced back to Lowther using traces of his blood found in the car.

Once his DNA was on the police database, he was then linked to a break-in at a portable cabin at a farm in Gildersome in late February 2017.

A boiler worth £100 was stolen and never recovered, and £200 of damage was caused.

He pleaded guilty on all four counts before trial.

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Coates pleaded guilty to one count of burgarly before trial.

-> Spice dealers with weapons arsenal who 'flooded' Leeds with drugs are jailedHolly Clegg, mitigating, said Lowther, who appeared via video-link from HMP Doncaster, got involved in crime to pay off a drug debt, but that he no longer had a drug problem.

"He would like to apologise for his actions," she said.

"Since then he has turned his life around. He does have a job waiting for him as a car cleaning assistant."

Caroline Abraham, mitigating for Coates, said her client was invited to get into the Corsa and did so despite not knowing the other boys well.

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Coates, of Brompton Mount, Beeston, was handed an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also told to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, alongside his main job as a roofer, and was told not to drive for the next four months.

The 13-year-old was given a youth rehabilitation order at a separate youth court hearing.