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Burglars rammed police cars during chase through North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police Charlie Dunn (left) and Jack Setchell (right)North Yorkshire Police
Charlie Dunn (l) and Jack Setchell (r) had "ruthlessly" targeted rural communities, police said

Burglars who tried to ram three police cars off the road during a chase have been jailed.

Charlie Dunn, 25, and Jack Setchell, 23, reversed a van into two vehicles before smashing an BMW X3 SUV into another in a bid to evade capture.

The duo, from Hartlepool, were wanted over a series of rural burglaries in North Yorkshire.

Dunn was jailed for four years and six months and Setchell for four years at York Crown Court on Tuesday.

Dunn, Setchell and a third man, Kieran Connor, carried out several burglaries in Amotherby, Great Habton, Little Habton, Kirby Misperton and Slingsby between 02:30 GMT and 08:30 GMT on 2 June, North Yorkshire Police said.

They stole farm equipment, a quad bike and a Ford Fiesta.

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Officers later spotted the gang in Kirby Misperton driving a stolen white Ford Transit van which was towing a wood chipper.

When the wood chipper came loose and the van stopped for one of the men to retrieve it, police approached the van but Dunn sped off, injuring one of the officers in the process.

Footage released by the force shows officers gave chase but at one point Dunn stopped the vehicle and reversed into the police car twice before driving off.

A short time later he rammed a second police vehicle involved in the pursuit before crashing in a field.

Police found the van empty, but shortly afterwards a black BMW was seen in the area driven by Setchell.

It also rammed several vehicles before crashing, leading to the their arrests.

Both men pleaded guilty to a string of offences including burglary, theft and aggravated vehicle taking. Dunn also admitted a charge of assaulting an emergency worker.

Dunn was banned from driving for five years and three months, while Setchell was banned for five years.

Connor, 19, from Wheatley Hill, County Durham, was sentenced separately in February for offences including burglary and theft

He was handed a three-year community order and must do 300 hours of unpaid work and was banned from driving for 12 months.

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