11:55 am, June 17, 2026
A burglar who targeted an Evans Halshaw car dealership in the north of England has been put behind bars.
Thomas Nixon made off from Evans Halshaw Ford Middlesbrough in a used Dacia Duster, which he used to smash through a roller shutter.
The incident caused £3,500 of damage to the car, while the repair bill for the broken door ran to £1,000.
Nixon, who has been described as a ‘serial burglar’ later refused to stop for police and attempted to flee on foot after abandoning the car just over a mile from the dealership.
He was eventually arrested after a brief pursuit, when he tested positive for cocaine on a saliva swab test and refused to give a blood test.
The 42-year-old has now appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to burglary; aggravated vehicle taking; dangerous driving; driving whilst disqualified; no insurance and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
The court heard that Nixon had ‘slurred speech and appeared drowsy’ when he was arrested. Prosecutors also revealed that the car dealership had to spend £500 on two new sets of car keys to replace the ones he had stolen.
TeessideLive reports that Nixon had 10 previous convictions for burglary, from 1998 to 2021, which he said were carried out in order to fund his drug addiction.
After hearing all the evidence, Judge Ian Mullarkey jailed Nixon for 18 months and banned him from driving until 2030.
