Watch: Dangerous driver rams caravan in stolen gritter before pouring petrol over himself

Bradley Burns threatened the driver at knifepoint as she was parked in a 12-tonne gritter truck at a hospital on Mindelshon Way, Birmingham, on February 25 last year.

The 25-year-old forced the woman out of the vehicle and began to drive it recklessly through residential streets in Birmingham and Bourneville.

He was pursued by police but they were forced to retreat and call in the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter after he tried to ram one of their vehicles.

The dangerous driver was then followed by the helicopter and traffic officers.

In footage captured by the helicopter, Burns can be seen driving around the streets trying to evade officers, before deliberately crashing into a stationary caravan.

The video also shows him taunting officers as he waves a petrol can out of the truck's window.

He then drove onto grassland on Ruthall Close, Birmingham, where he was grounded.

Knowing that the helicopter was above him and that officers were closing in, Burns then proceeds to pour petrol over himself and the cab of the lorry.

Police eventually managed to talk him into surrendering and he was arrested for robbery.

Burns, of Abdon Avenue, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to robbery and dangerous driving at an earlier hearing and was sentenced last week at Birmingham Crown Court to six and a half years in jail.

Det Con David Wilson, from Birmingham's crime team at West Midlands Police, said: "This is an absolutely amazing result which provides some justice for our victim for what must have been a very frightening experience.

"It is testament to the strength of the work of all officers involved that such a substantial sentence has been handed down, removing this person from our streets for a significant time."