The dad-to-be will be behind bars for the birth of his child but says he wants to ‘become a responsible father’
A balaclava-clad teenager hid from police in a wheelie bin after crashing a stolen BMW into a house. Sabian Allert drove at speeds of up to 100mph as he sought to evade arrest, with officers having traced his whereabouts due to the high performance car being fitted with a tracker.
The dad-to-be now says that he wants to put his life of crime behind him and “become a responsible father”. But a judge today told him that it was “a matter of luck rather than design” that nobody was seriously injured as a result of his reckless actions.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Allert and a second man, Adam Lamb, broke into a house on Dam Lane in Woolston, Warrington, via the back door shortly before 1.30am on February 6 this year, taking the keys to a BMW which was parked outside. The occupants were woken as a result and looked out of their window to see the burglars pushing a second car out of the way before driving away in the target vehicle.
But Iain Criddle, prosecuting, described how the “high value, high performance” BMW was fitted with a tracker, leading to it being traced to Back Crescent Road in Bolton. There, police found both Allert and Lamb standing beside the car in balaclavas, with the two men driving off at speed at the sight of officers.
With the former behind the wheel, the vehicle was said to have run a red light and reached speeds of up to 100mph in a 30mph zone during an ensuing pursuit. This was however curtailed when they smashed into the front of a house on nearby Morris Green Lane, with CCTV footage showing the tailing police car then crashing into the back of the BMW.
The two offenders then fled on foot, but were subsequently found hiding in wheelie bins and arrested. Allert, of Newby Drive in Middleton, Greater Manchester, has a number of previous convictions for offences including dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without a licence, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray.
Mark Connor, defending the 18-year-old, told the court: “I ask your honour to take into account his age and vulnerability. When one looks at the age of his co-defendant and the fact that others were undoubtedly involved in this matter, he was not the orchestrator of this and he was being instructed to do what he did by others who were more sophisticated, the real planners behind this.”
With Allert having alleged that he had become involved in the theft of the car in order to clear a drug debt, Mr Connor added: “He expresses remorse and indicates an insight into the impact that his actions would have had upon the victims. For that, he wishes me, on his behalf, to express how sorry he is for what happened.
“He understands the seriousness of the situation and the damage that he has caused, and he is trying his best to distance himself from the lifestyle he was involved in. He has been told that he is going to be a father. He is conscious of the fact that he has missed every scan and that she will be giving birth to their child on her own.
“His record is significant for a young man. The fact that he has continued to offend does clearly aggravate his position, but his immaturity and vulnerability are separate and distinct factors which do not disappear because of the fact he has continued to offend. If anything, it may be an indication that he lacks that maturity.
“His partner is due in October. That is something that Mr Allert takes seriously. It is his intention to become a responsible father. That has been something that has been preoccupying his mind and something he has continually returned to in the conferences I have had with him during this process.
“That new responsibility has very much focussed his mind. He wants to be a good father. He knows now and he has woken up to the fact that his actions have consequences, not just for himself now, but for other people. That might just be the factor that precipitates a change, to mature, to grow up and to move on without a life of offending.”
Allert admitted burglary, theft, dangerous driving and taking a motor vehicle without consent. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse wearing a grey Nike jumper, he was handed 26 months in a young offenders’ institute, banned from driving for 25 months and ordered to pass an extended retest.
Lamb, 23, and of Devonshire Road in Rochdale, will be sentenced at a later date. Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: “It is a matter of luck rather than design that the only damage was to property, rather than people.
“You drove extremely dangerously, at speeds of over 100mph. Eventually, you lost control of the vehicle and collided into a house, actually hitting the front of his property. You both, eventually, were detained hiding in a wheelie bin.
“In my judgement, this is a very serious set of offences. They were left feeling scared, unsettled and as though their privacy had been invaded. People should be able to feel safe in their own homes without the worry that people like you are going to break in in the dead of night.
“You are still only 18 years of age. I hope it is right that you are remorseful for what you involved yourself in. You, now, in the cold light of day, have been able to reflect on the impact of this type of offending. You are not, though, a stranger to these courts.
“It is quite clear that you do lack maturity. You are somebody who is vulnerable to others who are, perhaps, more criminally sophisticated. You are somebody who is an easy target for others looking for somebody to play a role in offending such as this.
“I hope it is right that, when you are released from custody, you do now put this offending behind you. It is time that you turn your attentions to your partner and young child, look after them and put this behaviour behind you.
“If you do not, you will find yourself serving lengthier and lengthier terms of imprisonment. You yourself know how dangerous this type of driving is. You yourself suffered serious injury following a road traffic incident in 2022.”
