Armed carjacking brothers jailed

The brothers admitted having drug problems for more than 20 years

Two brothers have been jailed after a nine-hour carjacking spree across the South East in which five cars were stolen and two police officers were held at gunpoint.

During the crime spree a female police officer had her patrol car stolen at gunpoint, while another was handcuffed and threatened with a gun.

The carjackings began when officers visited an address in Greater London on 23 May 2003 to speak to the brothers about other offences, but both fled after brandishing a gun.

John Todd, 33, and Richard Todd, 38, both of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including kidnap and unlawful violence with a firearm, at Reading Crown Court on 6 February.

Both have admitted having drug problems for more than 20 years.

After fleeing officers at the London address, the brothers held up a woman police officer in Iver, Buckinghamshire, and made off with her patrol car.

About 10 minutes later a female motorist had her BMW estate stolen at gunpoint and the brothers continued along the A4 towards Slough, Berkshire.

An hour later, they threatened a man with a gun while he was sat in his Volvo at Christmas Common, Watlington, south Oxfordshire, and stole his mobile, wallet and car keys.

At about 1630 GMT a Ford Escort was stolen in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and was later found abandoned in Finmere, Buckinghamshire, where the pair broke into a house sometime before 1940 GMT and stole a Nissan Sunny.

Shot fired

A police officer and his female passenger were then handcuffed at gunpoint in Bletchley, near Milton Keynes, and had a mobile phone and radio stolen.

About 20 minutes later, a shot was fired when two men broke into a house in Great Brickhill, Milton Keynes, and bound and robbed a man of his BMW 523. He was not injured.

The BMW was pursued along the M1, M25 and M4 by officers from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and finally stopped at 2140 BST in Cherry Lane, off the M4 in the Metropolitan Police area.

The men tried to escape but were arrested and taken to Loddon Valley Police station in Reading.

John Todd was given an automatic life sentence due to two previous convictions, and Richard Todd was jailed for 16 years.

Sentencing the men, Judge Stanley Spence said they caused "cold-blooded terror" among their victims and were both still a "serious danger" to the public.