Police dog pursuit sees motorcycle thief arrested on a Monday and jailed on the Wednesday

A motorcycle thief, who attempted to evade police on a stolen moped, has been jailed after being apprehended with the help of a police dog.

Daniel Tolhurst, 23, was seen speeding through Maidstone town centre in Kent just after 5am on Monday, November 11 – with officers in the area initially responding to reports of suspicious activity involving two motorcycles.

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Tolhurst was seen riding on Calder Road at 5:23am, and ignored officers’ demands to stop – weaving through traffic as he went. The bike was then dumped on Gabriel’s Hill, with the offender fleeing on foot.

In order to track him down, Kent Police deployed a sniffer dog named Boss. The thief was quickly discovered, with a balaclava, hammers and wrench found dropped nearby.  

“Following a spate of motorcycle thefts over recent weeks, our officers have been proactively patrolling the areas we believed were most at risk,” Chief Inspector, Mark McLellan said.

“This intelligence-led response has helped us catch an offender in the act, and the discarded balaclava and tools were clearly indicative of Tolhurst’s intention to commit further crime.”

Tolhurst was charged with going equipped to steal, aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, and driving without a licence or insurance.

Wasting no time, he then appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court two days later and was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison. He was also banned from driving for a year and made to pay costs and a victim surcharge in excess of £250.

The stolen moped was also returned to its rightful owner.

“Offenders like Tolhurst prey upon hard working and law-abiding residents, targeting vehicles and property with the aim of stealing anything they can get their hands on,” the Chief Inspector continued.

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“Residents will hopefully also be reassured that Tolhurst has faced quick justice for his actions and is now rightly serving a custodial sentence.”