A MAN who drove ‘absolutely manic’ because he wanted a joyride has been jailed for a ‘series of extremely serious offences’.

Hayden Tapsell, 28, appeared at Mold Crown Court on June 8 where he was told he had to pay the price for his ‘nasty’ crimes’ which included burglary, robbery, harassment and other offences last year.

In 2020, Tapsell, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to harassing his ex-partner after he became ‘jealous’ and would threaten her.

Prosecuting Oliver King said things escalated and he would turn up at her house to throw stones, send abusive messages and told her he was ‘going to kill her’.

Tapsell also turned up at her place of work at a dental practice in Flintshire where he was ‘banging on the door’.

In another offence in July, shortly after midnight, Mr King said Tapsell entered the Synthite LTD in Mold and stole lab technician Jennifer Jones’ car keys from a windowsill whilst she was on a coffee break.

The court heard how she thought it was her colleagues playing a ‘prank’ on her after seeing her car headlights flashing but by the time she realised, it was too late.

Within an hour, a police patrol car saw the defendant driving the BMW on the A541 Halkyn and despite flashing their blue lights, Tapsell did not stop.

The court heard how the 28-year-old reached speeds of 100mph and even drove through a 30mph zone in Lixwm at 90mph.

Other officers were deployed and used a stinger, but Tapsell swerved to avoid it and carried on towards an unclassified track lane.

Mr King said police were unable to keep up due to him driving at ‘such speeds’ but the car was later found abandoned and damaged but his DNA was found on a hard hat he had taken and fingerprints on the door.

Mr King went on to say Tapsell admitted forcing his way into the laboratory with a friend to ‘look for something to steal and when he saw the keys he ‘couldn’t resist’ as he wanted to go on a ‘joyride’.

At Mold Crown Court, Mr King said Tapsell also pleaded guilty to robbing a vulnerable disabled man in September of last year.

Police became aware of a Youtube video, uploaded from Tapsell’s account which showed him confronting John Shaw, who ‘has a number of problems’.

Mr King said Tapsell ‘saw himself as something of a vigilante, dishing out his own punishment to a vulnerable man’.

He confronted Mr Shaw in a communal car park in Flintshire and when he did not give the answers he wanted, he ‘punched’ Mr Shaw and knocked him to the floor.

The video also showed how Tapsell stole Mr Shaw’s bracelet and subjected him to degradation.

Mr King said Tapsell had admitted he lost a friend to drug use and considered himself a vigilante.

The other sentences were for driving whilst disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking, driving with no insurance, dangerous driving, criminal damage and putting a person in fear of violence.

The court heard how on September 23, Tapsell was spotted by police driving an Audi A6 in Flint around 3.15pm and started to follow him. They hit heavy traffic on Fourth Avenue and police were able to pull up behind Tapsell, who had a passenger in the car, but he reversed, colliding with the police vehicle and `drove on the pavement to get away.

Defence Counsel Simon Rogers said Tapsell had led an unstable life and was ‘completely off the rails’ but was reforming. He went on to say that he now has a degree of stability and routine and since doing an open university degree, has become aware ‘he’s good at maths’.

Mr Rogers said Tapsell was a ‘very different individual’ now but Judge David Hale said he had to pay the price for his actions.

The defence counsel pleaded with the judge to pass a sentence that ‘gives him some hope’.

Judge Hale added: “These were an extremely serious series of offences in which you showed no respect for people, no respect for property or anyone else who may happen to be on the road in such a totally irresponsible way.”

He said he was pleased the 'security and routine' at Berwyn had helped but in the meantime he 'has to pay the price' for what he did.

The court heard how Tapsell's behaviour towards his ex-partner was 'very unpleasant' and his driving of the BMW had been 'absolutely manic'.

He went on to say that the robbery of Mr Shaw was a ‘horrid offence’ as he humiliated a disabled man who was at a disadvantage. Judge Hale said in September when he was driving the car in Flint he was ‘determined to get away’ from police so much so he barged their car and drove ‘without any regard to anybody’.

Tapsell was jailed for a total of 59 months.

Broken down, for driving whilst disqualified - three months and license endorsed for no insurance, the car was forfeited. This was concurrent with every other sentence.

For harassment - three months consecutive and a five-year restraining order. For the burglary, taking the car - 20 months consecutively.

Twelve-months concurrent for aggravated vehicle taking and three months for driving with no license.

He was disqualified from holding and obtaining a license for four years and was given 28 months consecutively for the robbery. Finally, he was given eight months consecutive for driving away from police.