NEWS: Banned Driver Stole £5,000 Hydraulic Cutters from Fire Engine

A prolific thief has been jailed after stealing vital emergency equipment worth £5,000 from a parked fire engine in Gateshead.

Stephen Rose, a banned driver with a staggering 109 offences on his record, was caught on CCTV helping himself to hydraulic cutters from the side of a Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service vehicle. The fire engine had been parked on a street in Gateshead on 24 August when Rose pulled up in a Mitsubishi Shogun, got out, and took the cutters before driving away.

The equipment was never recovered, leaving the fire service out of pocket. Rose, formerly of Cowgate and Slatyford and now of no fixed address, was also wanted by police at the time and already serving two suspended sentences.

He appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court this week where he pleaded guilty to theft, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance. The court heard his long criminal history includes multiple convictions for theft, burglary, and shoplifting.

Magistrates jailed Rose for 14 weeks and ordered him to pay £5,000 in compensation. His defence said he had relapsed into drug use and was homeless, but is now seeking help.