Lorry hijacker who kidnapped driver who was parked up off the A14 near Huntingdon is jailed

A masked man who hijacked a lorry and stole thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco has been jailed for seven years.

John Lake appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (July 24) and admitted kidnap and robbery.

Wearing a balaclava, the 36-year-old, and another man, had targeted a ‘One Stop’ lorry parked in a layby off the A14 near Ellington, just before the Brampton Hut Services, in the early hours of Tuesday, May 28, last year.

The driver, a 64-year-old man, was restrained and put in the back of the lorry’s cab. He suffered minor injuries but later managed to escape and flagged down a passing motorist.

Meanwhile, the lorry was driven to Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire where Lake, who is currently serving a prison sentence in a Preston jail, stole cigarettes and other tobacco products worth nearly £11,500.

Detectives followed the journey of the lorry after it had been stolen and discovered a Volkswagen van had been in convoy with it. Inquiries revealed that Lake, previously of Bilston, near Wolverhampton, had hired the vehicle the previous day.

Detective Constable Suzanne Pickard, who led the investigation, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the driver who still suffers flashbacks from the incident and has had to leave his job.

“It was a carefully planned robbery, but thankfully we were able to track down Lake and ensure he was brought to justice.”

The other man involved in the kidnapping has not been traced.