A prolific offender was snared by a police helicopter after leading officers on a chase in a stolen car.
Thomas Beeston, 18, of Bruce Glazier Terrace, Shotton Colliery, stole a car from outside a house in Cockfield in the early hours of January 14.
He was then pursued by Roads Policing Officers and the police helicopter for around 25 minutes before dumping the car in Gilesgate in Durham, and attempting to run off.
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Beeston then cut through a garden and tried to hide in an alleyway.
However, he was hunted down with the help of the police helicopter and arrested on suspicion of theft of a motorvehicle.
The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to the theft, along with several other driving offences, when he appeared at Durham Crown Court on Saturday.
He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on February 8.
DC Sarah Hindmarsh, of the South Durham Volume Crime Team, said: “Beeston is a prolific offender from the Peterlee area who appears to have no regard for the law.
“It is good to see him caught so quickly and caught in the act in our area and put him back behind bars where hopefully he will stay when he is sentenced."
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