Burglar ran over woman days after prison release

A man who drove over a woman twice during a burglary had been released from prison four days before, a court was told.

Darrell Lambert, 40, along with Jake Laurie, 33, both from Ipswich, broke into the Spar store in Stradbroke in Suffolk on 30 July at about 03:10 BST.

But as they loaded cigarettes, vapes and alcohol into a car, the family who run the store fought back, and a woman who attempted to fend them off was reversed over twice.

On Monday, Ipswich Crown Court heard how Lambert had 169 previous convictions. Both men admitted a string of offences and were jailed - Lambert for six years and nine months and Laurie was sentenced to three years.

The court heard how the men first failed to pay for fuel at a petrol station in Bury St Edmunds, before they burgled Tothill services on the A14 near Stowmarket, using a brick to smash a window and then steal cigarettes, vapes and alcohol.

Wearing balaclavas, they drove in a car with false number plates along with another identified man to Stradbroke, where they burgled the Spar store.

The court was told a woman named Liluben Odedra had hit the men's car with a broom as they tried to escape, before Lambert deliberately reversed over her.

She lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, but she managed to escape any traumatic injuries.

During the sentencing, the court heard Lambert's previous convictions included actual bodily harm and burglary, and he had been banned from driving.

Lambert's lawyer told the court he had been a drug user since the age of 14 and had been living in a hostel at the time, following his release from prison.

He admitted causing grievous bodily harm, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of burglary, and making off from a petrol station without paying.

The judge told Lambert it was fortunate the injuries to Odedra were not as serious as they could have been, as he jailed him for six years and nine months with an extended licence period of three years.

Laurie, of Hawthorne Drive, Ipswich, admitted two counts of burglary and was sentenced to three years in prison.

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