Backlash as father-of-two jailed for tackling burglars but crooks given slap on wrist - as fund for him hits £16,000
29 November 2022, 15:57 | Updated: 29 November 2022, 18:33
A father-of-two was jailed for 22 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he ran two men off the road who were attempting to burgle his house - while they were spared prison.
Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25, were armed with a crowbar and bolt cutters when they tried to enter Adam White's house in 2019. His wife Lindsay, 34, and their two children, aged 10 and eight, were also present.
The criminal duo are now suing Adam’s car insurers for £1million because of the injuries they sustained after being ran off the road - including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and broken bones, the Mirror reports.
After the show aired, videos of Ryan Paul boasting about his injuries and involvement in the ordeal surfaced on TikTok.
In one of the videos, he can be heard saying: "Run me over, chavvy". In another, he can be heard joking about still being injured.
Viewers of the original episode were furious that he was convicted while the would-be burglars, Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, received suspended sentences.
One person tweeted: "I felt broken for you and your wife. An honest man makes a mistake, an understandable one, but gets sent to prison, while two career robbers go free. I’m so sorry the justice system failed you."
Adam White, 34, said he "can't believe" the support he has received from the public after his story was told on 24 Hours in Police Custody on Channel 4.
Adam, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, overwhelmed by the support, said: "Thank you to everyone for your kind words and heart felt sympathy we have been through an awful lot, it was hard seeing this on TV and with all the messages I've received has been amazing and very emotional.
"I honestly cant believe the public is behind me."
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A GoFundMe has now been set up for Adam after he spent £50,000 following the ordeal, reaching over £16,000 in over 24 hours.
Following the backlash on social media, Bedfordshire Police said the policing and the wider criminal justice system "undoubtedly" divides opinion.
A spokesperson said: "Policing and the wider criminal justice system divides opinion and undoubtedly tonight’s episode of 24 hours in Police Custody will have done just that.
"Having determined this, the police are required to build an evidential case to submit to the CPS for consideration of whether there is sufficient evidence and where the public interest lies.
"Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul pleaded guilty to the attempted burglary, while Adam White was found guilty by a jury.
"In tonight’s episode, having considered both the evidence and the context in which the criminal offences were committed, the judge sentenced White to 22 months in prison, while giving a suspended sentence to Benford and Paul, recognising they both bore substantial responsibility themselves for their injuries.
"Our officers work incredibly hard to put criminals before the courts and disrupt their activities, but we know that the outcomes received do not always tell the full story.
"In this case, there were no winners. This episode is an important reminder that people must not take the law into their own hands. Such actions can have enormous consequences."
Despite this, Lindsay, Adam's partner, has taken to social media to warn people against blaming the police.
She said: "Please...do not put the blame on the police for this.
"Our family have worked hard with the police and the show, the cps and the judge make the decisions.
"And yes there is a huge problem with the policing in Leighton buzzard, but the individual officers are not to blame.
"Hopefully this will highlight the problem in the area. The police force are stretched and work incredibly hard. Please be kind."
