Man jailed after dangerous pursuit involving a stolen dog

A man has been sent to jail after a terrifying pursuit between York and Selby.

Nicholas Oakland, 30 , was found guilty of dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, disqualified driving, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and driving with no insurance.

Appearing at York Crown Court today, Thursday 20 October 2022, Oakland was jailed for 19 months. He was also disqualified for driving for three years and nine months.

At 4.01pm on Thursday 24 February 2022 police received reports from a member of the public that their Range Rover had just been stolen from outside a shop in the Acomb area of York with their Doberman dog still inside the vehicle.

Officers in the area were immediately alerted and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) work was carried out to guide officers towards the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle had a tracking device fitted and was able to help police by giving live updates on its movements. CCTV operators were also monitoring cameras in the York area and tracking the movements of the vehicle.

Less than 20 minutes later Roads Policing officers from North Yorkshire Police were following the vehicle on the A19 heading towards Selby. Oakland proceeded to drive at high speeds on the A163 whilst dangerously weaving in and out of heavy rush hour traffic.

Oakland nearly caused head-on collisions with other innocent members of the public, forcing motorists to take evasive action.

A police stinger site was quickly set up just outside of North Duffield and a short time later the Range Rover crashed and rolled in a field. Officers quickly apprehended Oakland at the scene of the crash.

The owner’s dog, called Jake, remained inside the vehicle for the length of the pursuit. He then fled from the vehicle once it overturned.

Once the suspect was detained by officers the police helicopter focused on the dog, who ran half a mile from the stolen vehicle, and guided units towards the shaken dog.

A vet was quickly brought in to assist with the welfare of the dog. Sadly, following on from injuries that Jake sustained during the pursuit he passed away a few weeks later.

Watch a video of the pursuit here:

Traffic Sergeant Julian Pearson of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing group said: “Oaklands driving posed a serious risk to other road users as he drove the stolen vehicle in an appalling way. Thankfully with the use of specialist police resources we were able to quickly bring the vehicle to a stop less than 30 minutes after it was reported stolen.

“He showed no regard for the safety of the family dog that was in the rear of the vehicle. It was imperative that we quickly located Jake after the collision and ensured he received immediate veterinary care and returned to his owners.

“This case has touched everyone involved in the investigation and we all wished that Jake made a full recovery from his injuries; sadly this wasn’t to be and Jake passed away a few weeks later. Jake was a family member, a loved one and will be dearly missed.” 

The victim, Matthew Wilson, Jake's owner commented:

“The past few months have been extremely traumatic for our family.  

“Jake wasn’t simply a family pet but a trained support dog, a companion, and my best friend.

“We had travelled to over 22 countries together and were planning on more adventures before his life was cut short.

“We continue to miss our boy Jake every day and it still difficult to comprehend the unnecessary injuries and suffering that he had to go through which ultimately resulted him in losing his life.

“We wish to thank North Yorkshire Police for being so supportive and caring during this process and making sure that justice was served for Jake.”