A raider who was found guilty of hurling a beer keg through a Canvey store's glass door and stealing a computer game has been jailed.
Jimmy Stevens, 23, was said to have driven away at high speed with two other raiders.
But he crashed the car following a police chase and tried to escape. No one was seriously injured in the accident, Basildon Crown Court heard.
Stevens, of Norwich Walk, Basildon, was convicted by a jury of burglary at Woolworths, in Furtherwick Road, Canvey. The beer keg caused £230 of damage.
Stevens was also found guilty of dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance.
He was banned from driving for two years and ordered to re-take his driving test.
His barrister, Peter Clarke, said drugs were at the centre of Stevens's problems, but he was now determined to stay away from them.
However, Recorder Hilary Bradley said the drugs were no excuse for Stevens offending and he had an "appalling record".
Stevens was jailed for three years and three months for the store raid last June.
Published Tuesday January 6, 2004
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