Police helicopter's thermal camera found Leeds van driver hiding in wheelie bin

A teenage van driver who tried to outrun police after a stinger burst his tyres was found hiding in a wheelie bin by a thermal imaging camera from a helicopter.
By Nick Frame
Published 8th Feb 2023, 04:45 BST
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The high-tech equipment was able to detect Connor Scott after he fled from his Citroen Berlingo.

Just 17 at the time, Scott was seen by officers driving “erratically” just after 11pm on August 17 last year along Westerton Road in Tingley. When they tried to pull him over he accelerated away, reaching speeds of 70mph along residential 30mph zones on Common Lane.

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He struck a kerb on Lingwell Gate Lane in Lofthouse which burst one of his tyres. The stinger device was then deployed and the police helicopter was scrambled, prosecutor Oliver Connor told Leeds Crown Court.

The helicopter detected Scott hiding in the bin.The helicopter detected Scott hiding in the bin.
The helicopter detected Scott hiding in the bin.

Scott eventually abandoned the vehicle on Leeds Road and ran. His passenger was quickly apprehended in a nearby garden, but the helicopter was able to trace Scott to the wheelie bin and direct officers. After being pulled from the bin he said: “It weren’t me.”

He gave no comments during his interview with police. Scott, of Northfield Place, Rothwell, later admitted dangerous driving and having no licence or insurance.

Adrian Pollard, mitigating for the 18-year-old, said he had a “troubled upbringing” and had ADHD. He added: “His is an impulsive thinker and does not take into the circumstances he is in. He is now just 18 and as serious as this is, it would be more beneficial to society to have the benefit of a community order.”

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He has five previous convictions for 13 offences and was on a youth rehabilitation order at the time of his latest offending.

Judge Simon Batiste described the chase as “highly aggressive” and told him: “People who engage in chases of this type almost always go to prison immediately.”

However, he acknowledged that Scott had gained employment and steadied his life. He said: “With a great deal of hesitation I’m prepared to take a chance on you today, but it will be once chance only.

"If you come back before this court again there will only be one option. You have had a difficult childhood, but it won’t save you again.”

He was given seven months’ jail, suspended for two years, and given a three-year driving ban.