What began as a report of an unattended car being stolen in Thirsk quickly led to an arrest and a string of driving-related charges.
Ben Slater, 36, of Lingfoot Crescent, Sheffield, was disqualified from driving for two years when he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court today.
Slater was also ordered to pay a £120 fine, £85 in prosecution costs, and a £114 victim surcharge, and must complete an alcohol rehabilitation programme.
He had previously pleaded guilty on Thursday 23 October 2025 to theft of a motor vehicle, driving whilst disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance, and failing to provide a specimen for analysis. He was banned from driving until sentencing.
The incident occurred just before 8pm on Wednesday 8 October, when a delivery driver briefly left their car running while collecting orders from a takeaway on Market Place, Thirsk. When they returned minutes later, the vehicle had been stolen.
Officers later spotted the car exiting the A1(M) at junction 48 and followed it until it stopped at a petrol station on Wetherby Road, Boroughbridge. As Slater began refuelling the vehicle, officers intercepted and arrested him.
A roadside breath test showed Slater had 74 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than double the legal limit of 35. He later failed to provide a breath sample in custody, leading to an additional charge.
Detective Inspector Nick Hamer, from the Investigation Hub in Harrogate, said: “Both the arresting officers and my colleagues in the Investigation Hub have done a phenomenal job apprehending and charging Slater as quickly as they did.
“We know all too well the consequences of drink driving, but thankfully we intercepted before Slater could cause any harm.”
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