Nicholas Oakland led police, including a helicopter, on a high-speed chase (Picture: SWNS)
A trained support dog died after a thief stole his owner’s car, later crashing it during a 130mph police chase.
Matthew Wilson, who has autism and ADHD, had left his beloved Doberman, named Jake, inside his Range Rover when Nicholas Oakland broke in.
The 30-year-old stole the vehicle parked outside a shop in Acomb, York, with the pet still locked inside.
He then led police, including a helicopter, on a high-speed chase, nearly crashing into members of the public.
A video shows the moment Oakland rolled the 4×4 three times as he tried to drive across a field to evade police.
Poor Jake was seen hobbling away from the car as officers arrived at the scene of the horror crash.
Once their suspect was detained, officers located the injured dog half a mile away.
Matthew Wilson with his Doberman, Jake, who passed away a few weeks after the crash (Picture: SWNS)
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A vet was quickly brought in to help Jake but he passed away a few weeks later.
For Mr Wilson, his pet was not simply a family pet but a trained support dog, ‘a companion and my best friend’.
‘The past few months have been extremely traumatic for our family,’ the app developer said.
‘We had travelled to more than 22 countries together and were planning on more adventures before his life was cut short.
‘We continue to miss our boy Jake every day and it still difficult to comprehend the unnecessary injuries and suffering that he had to go through which ultimately resulted him in losing his life.
The site of the horror crash on February 24 (Picture: SWNS)
Police arrested Oakland after a 20-minute chase in York (Picture: SWNS)
He was jailed for 19 months, and was also disqualified for driving for three years and nine months (Picture: SWNS)
‘We wish to thank North Yorkshire Police for being so supportive and caring during this process and making sure that justice was served for Jake.’
At York Crown Court, Oakland was found guilty of dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and driving with no insurance.
He was jailed for 19 months and banned from driving for three years and nine months over the incident on February 24.
North Yorkshire Police traffic sergeant Julian Pearson said this devastating case ‘touched everyone’ involved in the investigation.
‘Oaklands’ driving posed a serious risk to other road users as he drove the stolen vehicle in an appalling way,’ he added.
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‘Thankfully, with the use of specialist police resources we were able to quickly bring the vehicle to a stop less than 30 minutes after it was reported stolen.
‘He showed no regard for the safety of the family dog that was in the rear of the vehicle.
‘It was imperative that we quickly located Jake after the collision and ensured he received immediate veterinary care and returned to his owners.’
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‘Jake wasn’t simply a family pet but a trained support dog, a companion, and my best friend.’