Moment van driver ploughs into off-licence before making off with £11K of cigarettes & booze as shop crumbles around him

The Sun

09-06-2025

A BRAZEN thief used a stolen van to smash through a shop wall and steal thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and alcohol.
Shocking footage shows the moment Kayne Palmer, 33, rams into Bestwood Hill Food and Wine in Nottingham using a stolen vehicle in October 2023.
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Stock and shelves fly across the room as the burglar reverses into the off license at speed.
Brickwork continues to crumble around the van as Palmer nabs £8,000 worth of fags and booze.
He can be seen on CCTV stuffing thousands of cigarettes into a bag before discovering it has a hole in the bottom.
In a panic, Palmer then grabs a shopping basket which he uses to carry the stolen goods.
He also swipes a till which he loads into the van before fleeing the scene.
Palmer caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the shop and stole £7,897 of cigarettes and alcohol, as well as £3,239 of cash.
The frightened shop owners were upstairs at the time of the ram raid and were woken by the loud bang of the van smashing into the store.
They called the police but by the time they got downstairs the crook had gone.
Hours before the 5am raid, Palmer broke into a nearby house and stole keys to the work van along with a handbag and bank card.
He carried out a 24-hour crime spree less than a month later, successfully breaking into five houses and attempting to force his way into another.
He was finally caught when officers spotted him fence-hopping over gardens following an afternoon break-in in Bestwood, Nottingham.
Palmer admitted to a series of offences, including eight burglaries, multiple counts of dangerous driving, assault and driving while disqualified.
He was jailed for seven years at Nottingham Crown Court last Friday and was banned from driving for five-and-a-half years.
Detective Inspector Julian Eminson-Ferry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "He is a clear danger to society.
"During his crime spree he stole a vehicle and drove dangerously, putting members of the public at risk.
"He crashed into street furniture, people's property, and narrowly missed pedestrians, showing a blatant disregard for the safety of members of the public.
"Palmer also stole another vehicle and used this in a ram raid of a locally owned shop.
"Here he stole thousands of pounds worth of cash and products and destroyed the victim's shop, ruining their business and livelihood.
"He didn't hide his offending and openly showed his face during the burglaries he committed.
"This showed his desperation and flippancy about the offences he carried out, regardless of the detrimental impact on his victims."
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