A man who was arrested before the crime he was fleeing from had even been reported has been jailed.

Craig Stoneham, 31, attempted to run and hide from officers after stealing a car from a driveway in The Green in Haddenham, Ely.

A woman living in the targeted property came downstairs just before 7am on August 18, 2018 to find her back window had been smashed and her BMW had been taken from the driveway, alongside a laptop.

She called the police and was surprised to find her car had already been located and a suspect arrested.

Three hours earlier at about 4am police officers on patrol spotted the BMW being driven erratically on the A142 near Chatteris.

They indicated the vehicle should pull over, however it sped away from them.

A short pursuit followed ending in Wenny Road, Chatteris, where the officers found the vehicle crashed into a house.

Stoneham was arrested and was taken to hospital with minor injuries. He was further arrested once it had been confirmed the car had been stolen.

The BMW was written off and the structural damage to the houses is estimated to have cost £34,000 to repair.

Stoneham, of Smith’s Drive, March, plead guilty to handling stolen goods, aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and criminal damage.

He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on August 24 to three years and nine months in prison.

DS James Rabbett said: “Stoneham is a convicted criminal with several thefts against his name.

“Despite being sent to prison multiple times he does not appear to change his ways, therefore for as long as he keeps offending, we will continue to put him back before the courts.”