'Slap in the face' have-a-go hero jailed while burglars walked free

EXCLUSIVE: Have-a-go hero who ran burglars off the road says it was a ‘slap in the face’ when he was jailed for two years while they walked free because of their injuries – adding thugs were ‘fit enough’ to break law ‘but not do time’

A have-a-go hero who ran two burglar off the road said it was a ‘slap in the face’ when he was jailed for two years while they walked free in part because of their injuries.

Adam White, 34, was jailed in February for 22 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he ran the would-be burglars off the road – while the crooks themselves were spared prison.

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr White revealed how being sentenced was ‘the worst day of my life’ and spoke about his agonising time in prison as well as the ongoing impact it has had on his life.

Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25, received suspended sentences and 200 hours community service after pleading guilty to the attempted burglary of the White’s family home.

Adam and Lindsay White posted an emotional video to thank everyone for the ‘overwhelming support’ they had received since 24 Hours in Police Custody aired on Monday night

The judge said their injuries would make it hard for them in prison.

After the motorbike crash, the pair were taken to hospital and then asked to voluntarily attend interviews at the police station.

They were stopped by police in a stop and search of a car sporting their injuries and Benford was later fined for driving without a licence or insurance while equipped for theft. No action was taken against Ryan.

‘If they are fit enough to get in a car [again] and do that but not face prison time for their actions, it does make you feel like it is a slap in the face,’ Mr White said.

‘Why doesn’t everyone just be a criminal? It’s sickening knowing there’s no deterrent.’

Benford and Taylor had been armed with a crowbar and bolt cutters when they attempted the burglary of Mr White’s home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 2019.

They targeted the home where he was with his wife and their two children, aged 10 and eight, after posing as buyers for a motorbike Mr White had advertised for sale online.

But Mr White spotted the two masked men as they attempted to break into the family’s garage, and after chasing them off his property then leapt into his Mercedes 4×4 in pursuit of them.

Adam White was sentenced to 22 months in prison after being convicted at Luton Crown Court

Adam White pictured with his wife Lindsay

When the electrician gave chase, the pair sustained serious injuries after being thrown from a stolen motorbike, including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and broken bones.

While Mr White, who told police at the accident scene that he had lost control of the vehicle when going around a bend, was arrested on the spot on suspicion of GBH.

While Benford and Paul gave ‘no comment’ interviews, Mr White gave his version o events during his police interviews. 

‘I was so oblivious, they said in the interview I could say ‘no comment’ but that’s not really me. I just told the truth and that’s that,’ he said.

The ‘spur of the moment’ decision to chase the burglars is one of regret for Mr White, who said he ‘wishes it didn’t happen’ and would not want to put his family through the stress again if he could go back.

‘My actions were my actions,’ he said. ‘I shouldn’t have left my house and I’ve had to pay the price for that.’ 

Following his arrest, Mr White had to fork out £50,000 for legal fees, and take out loans and credit cards to pay for the case as well as use his ‘life’s savings’.

But by far the most heartbreaking decision the family made was for his wife Lindsay to terminate her pregnancy over fears that if Mr White did go to prison, it would be difficult to raise the baby alone. 

He said: ‘That was the worst thing we had to do.

‘Within a week and a half of the incident, we made a decision to have a termination. 

Adam and Lindsay have said they want to give money to a pregnancy and baby loss charity to ‘help others who’ve gone through the same thing’

‘We didn’t know what was happening or a charge or anything like that. What do you do? 

‘We made the most sensible decision we could at the time, it was incredibly hard…the pain she went through. I sat there with her the whole time.

‘The two and a half years leading up to the court date we were in limbo and we didn’t know what to do.’ 

Mr White’s story prompted fury from viewers when it was told on Monday night’s episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody.

Many said they were ‘completely sickened’ by his conviction while Benford and Ryan Paul received suspended sentences.

Recalling the day he was sentenced at Luton Crown Court, Mr White said: ‘I was petrified. When I got sentenced at court, that was the worst day of my life.

Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25, received suspended sentences and 200 hours of community service at the same court

‘Seeing my wife, friends and family as I was led out the door, I was crying. 

‘The first four or five days in prison I was so scared.’

Mr White said that after being moved from Bedford to Mount Prison he befriended his cellmate who helped him learn to settle into life in prison.

One of the hardest things for Mr White was having not being able to speak to his family on the phone everyday, because the credit on his account would run out quickly. 

‘It was horrible because you are so restricted,’ he said.

‘If you get money on your phone in prison it goes so quickly, so you have to limit the time you talk to your family.’

Another difficult part of prison life was family visits, especially seeing his two children as ‘it’s not something you want your kids to go through, but at the same time I wanted to see them’. 

‘Lindsay came on her own at first to scope things out. The kids didn’t know what happened until I got sent to prison, we didn’t want them to feel unsafe.

‘It was weird and horrible for the kids, they got searched down by dogs. It’s not something you want your kids to go through. They would have been nine and 11 at the time.

Video released by Bedfordshire Police shows Adam White chasing the career criminals who attempted to burgle his home

‘The first visit was emotional, we were all crying.’

During his time in prison, Mr White earned a plastering qualification.

Benford and Paul, who both had a string of previous convictions including possession of an offensive weapon, theft, dangerous driving, criminal damage, shoplifting and drug dealing, are suing Mr White’s car insurer £1million for their injuries.

Mr White told of how the case is still affecting his life, as after being released from prison in September he now has to wear an ankle tag and is not allowed out the house between 7pm and 7am. 

The father, who is an electrician, lost his job after the incident and has been banned from driving until 2025.

While he has managed to get with a local business who he said were ‘really understanding’, he hopes to get his licence back because ‘as an electrician trying to take ladders and tools on a push bike is hard’.

The programme showed the scene of the crash which left the two would-be burglars with serious injuries

Since the programme aired, Mr White and his wife have seen an outpouring of support from members of the public, and a GoFundMe page for the family has raised more than £150,000 in less than a week.  

The pair have now stopped funds going to them and want to give money to a pregnancy and baby loss charity to ‘help others who’ve gone through the same thing’.

And what are their plans for the future? ‘To continue working hard and go back to our quiet lives as normal, humble people.

‘We were happy before all this and hopefully we can get back to that stage.’

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