Robber who told Peterborough police he was MI5’s best agent sectioned

A robber who told police he was ‘MI5’s best agent’ stole a woman’s car before being boxed in by road workers.
Police after they stooed RichensPolice after they stooed Richens
Police after they stooed Richens

David Richens, of Townleye Avenue, Accrington, approached a woman who was loading items into her car on the morning of 9 September last year.

The 41 year old went up to the woman in Midland Road, Peterborough, and pushed her to the ground when she opened the door to get into her Audi A3.

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Richens climbed into the driving seat and told the woman he was taking her car before driving off at 10.20am.

Police were called and headed to Peterborough, but just 16 minutes later – at 10.36am – Richens drove the car through a road closure onto the carriageway of the A1.

A road worker manning the closure saw the car smash through the plastic barriers and immediately warned around 50 other road workers further along the A1 that a car was approaching them.

Some of the road workers then got in their vehicles and manoeuvred them to block Richens’s path.

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Richens came to a stop just before the vehicles and was also blocked from reversing by yet another vehicle.

The route Richens tookThe route Richens took
The route Richens took

Police arrived on scene a short while later and found Richens, who claimed the car was his and added ‘I’m MI5’s best agent’.

Richens was found guilty of robbery and dangerous driving after standing trial at Cambridge Crown Court back in March.

He was sentenced at the same court today (8 November) where he was given a section 37 hospital order, to run indefinitely.

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Detective Constable Tom Adams, who investigated, said: “Driving through a road closure is incredibly dangerous and Richens was stopped roughly half a mile from where 50 road workers were working on the A1.

“It is only through the courage and quick-thinking of these road workers that Richens was stopped when he was. The situation could have been so much worse.

“Richens had no consideration for anyone else when he drove a stolen car recklessly.”