Chased thieves landed in canal

TWO thieves on a motorbike being chased by the police took to a canal towpath to attempt to evade arrest but careered into the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.

The two men, Matthew Sadler and Richard Palmer burgled fruit machines of more than 50 pubs, stealing an estimated £33,000, smashing the machines with a hammer and stealing the contents, Keith Gudgin reports.

Caught and arrested

They were caught and arrested after a police chase, when the pair on a motorbike took to the towpath of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, but lost control on the narrow path ending up with their bike in the waterway, dragged out by the police and arrested.

It was after smashing fruit machines in three pubs that the police saw them on a stolen motorbike in Erdington and began to chase, with it all ending in the canal, with £285 of pound coins discovered in a bag, that was slung into bushes by the side of the canal.

Jailed

At Birmingham Crown Court Sadler was jailed for seven years and Palmer for six years and four months.