Young offender caught with cars stolen in Leeds house burglaries within days of being released from custody

A court heard Mason Worsnop was "bang at it" within days of being released from custody in November last year.

Leeds Crown Court heard a Honda Civic was stolen during a break-in at a house in Wortley on December 11.

West Yorkshire Police officers saw Worsnop driving the car in Bramley on December 15 and followed the vehicle.

Satpal Roth Sharma, prosecuting, said the vehicle was being driven so fast that the officers were only able to get a partial registration number.

Worsnop managed to drive off but the vehicle was spotted by officers in an unmarked police car later that day in a supermarket car park.

Worsnop was standing next to the Civic and ran off when he realised police officers were watching the vehicle.

He put himself in danger by running across four lanes of traffic on a busy bypass but the officers managed to arrested him.

The car was fitted with cloned registration plates.

His address in Harehills was searched and a key to a Toyota Yaris which had been stolen in another burglary was found.

The officers seized Worsnop's mobile and found a picture on the device of him posing next to the stolen Yaris.

Worsnop was interviewed and denied involvement in either of the burglaries.

He said he had paid £100 each for the vehicles in partnership with a friend but did not have any paperwork to support the purchases.

The defendant claimed he had bought the cars "to get back and forth across the city" as it was cheaper than paying for taxis.

Worsnop, of Harehills Lane, Harehills, pleaded guilty to two counts of handling stolen goods.

He has 25 previous convictions, mainly for offences of theft, robbery and burglary.

Worsnop was recalled to custody after being arrested.

Charlotte Noddings, mitigating, said Worsnop pleaded guilty to the offences at an early stage.

The barrister said: "He is tired of the revolving door of the prison system that he has been involved in since he was 15."

The judge, Recorder Taryn Turner said: "This young man who, within days of being released from custody, was bang at it."

Worsnop was sent to a young offender institution for two years.

Recorder Turner told him: "You have an appalling record of convictions for a young man. You were released only a matter of days before your involvement in these offences.

"Many things have been done with put you on a more honest course.

"You have had supervision and you have had rehabilitation orders but you have found yourself back in this position again today."