Mansfield man jailed after knifepoint car-jacking in Sutton

Tyler Gillespie, now aged 19, threatened a woman with a knife as she waited in the passenger seat of a friend’s car.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Gillespie approached the woman on Leamington Drive, Sutton, shortly after midnight on June 19, 2021.

After ordering her out of the vehicle – along with a toddler in the back seat at the time – he drove off at speed, but was intercepted by a marked police ca

r on routine patrol.

The court heard Gillespie then reached speeds of up to 60 miles per hour on Sutton Road, Wentworth Road and Kirkby Road in the stolen car, before he was eventually pulled over on High Pavement, Sutton, and arrested.

A breath test revealed he had 90 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35mcg.

Inside the car, officers found various items Gillespie had stolen on the previous evening during a break-in on Leamington Drive, including a rucksack containing documents, a tablet computer and vaping equipment.

During police interview, Gillespie admitted the burglary and stealing the car, but denied ordering anyone out of the vehicle.

He admitted his actions had been ‘daft’ and said he eventually pulled over because he was ‘bladdered’ and ‘didn’t want to die’.

In court, Gillespie, of Commercial Gate, Mansfield, admitted robbery, dangerous driving, burglary, drink-driving and driving with no insurance.

He also admitted a further offence of theft from a local supermarket.

Yesterday, he was sentenced to four years’ custody at a young offenders’ institution. He was also banned from driving for four years.

Detective Constable Adam Penn, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Gillespie put his victims through an extremely frightening ordeal and was lucky not to cause serious injury to other road users during the truly appalling display of driving that followed.

“It is testament to the skill and professionalism of police officers and control room staff that this pursuit was bought to a swift and safe conclusion.

“I sincerely hope Gillespie uses this period of incarceration to reassess the way he is living his life and make positive changes to his future behaviour.”