Bradley Crane-Vincent jailed for lengthy police pursuit in stolen ute

An unlicensed driver who tried to force a woman from her car in the Hills after police burst the tyres on the ute he stole has learned his fate in court.

An unlicensed driver who stole a ute and led police on a lengthy chase – including through a crash scene – also tried to force a woman out of her car after almost ploughing into her.

Bradley Colin Crane-Vincent appeared in the District Court to be sentenced for a string of offences which began with a break-in at Main North Rd business on May 28, 2022 and ended hours later after a foot chase near Stirling.

In sentencing Judge Karen Thomas said the then 22-year-old and another man stole two utes – ramming the first through a gate to escape the premises.

“A residential neighbour witnessed one of the stolen vehicles accelerating hard against the locked gate, forcing it open,” she said.

The GPS-tracked utes left in opposite directions.

Bradley Crane-Vincent continued to drive the stolen ute on rims, sending sparks flying, after police successfully spiked the car. Picture 7NEWS

Bradley Crane-Vincent led police on a lengthy car chase in a stolen ute from Adelaide's north before coming to a stop near the Stirling exit in the Adelaide Hills. Picture 7NEWS

Judge Thomas said Crane-Vincent was engaged in a risky and reckless pursuit with police through various northern and eastern suburbs.

“At times during the pursuit police observed you speeding and driving without lights on the wrong side of the road,” she said.

Crane-Vincent also drove through an unrelated crash scene at Ashton in the Adelaide Hills where he hit a sign that struck an SES member.

He drove through road spikes before travelling on the wrong side of the road around a blind corner on Mount Lofty Summit Rd, forcing an oncoming car to stop.

“You approached the other vehicle on the driver’s side saying ‘help me, help me’,” Judge Thomas said.

When the other driver lowered her window, Crane-Vincent reached inside and open the door.

“You said ‘get the f — k out of the car’, grabbed her jumper with both hands and attempted to pull her from the vehicle seven or eight times,” Judge Thomas said.

He was unable to pull the woman from her car returned to the ute to flee.

“When police eventually caught up with you, they observed the vehicle’s flat tyres from the spikes and sparks coming from the metal rims,” Judge Thomas said.

Soon after Crane-Vincent drove onto the SE Freeway at Crafers. He was swerving “all over the road” and “straddling lanes and travelling at less than 40km/h due to the damaged tyres”.

He took the Stirling exit, stopped the car under the SE Freeway and ran off but was arrested.

Judge Thomas said Crane-Vincent’s offending was fuelled by drug addiction, but that he was remorseful and had made an effort to rehabilitate.

Crane-Vincent previously pleaded guilty to multiple offences including attempted robbery and driving dangerously to escape a police pursuit.

He was jailed for four years, four months and 27 days with a non-parole period of two years and two months and disqualified from driving for three years.