After being imprisoned for pursuing two would-be thieves who escaped punishment for their conduct, a father of two has expressed his gratitude to the people for their support.
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This week's episode of Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody featured a thorough account of Adam White's peculiar run-in with the police, including how the 34-year-old dealt with the would-be thieves who targeted his home while his wife and two children were inside.
The incident happened in 2019 and involved White pursuing the thieves in his car as they tried to flee from his home in Leighton Buzzard, Beds, on a stolen motorcycle. White lost control of his vehicle, seriously injuring the burglars.
The night of the incident, White was seen on bodycam video asking the arresting officer, "Am I in trouble? I’m not going to prison for this am I?"
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He was ultimately charged with inflicting serious harm by driving recklessly and received a 22-month prison term; meanwhile, the two guys he had been pursuing received just suspended sentences and community service.
Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25, were ordered to perform 200 hours of community service due to their prior convictions for stealing, dangerous driving, criminal mischief, shoplifting, and drug trafficking.
White crashed while pursuing the burglars.
After White's story was broadcast on television, the dad received a tonne of love from viewers, which inspired him to thank them in postings and a video on Twitter.
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He wrote: "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 can't believe the public is behind me."
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"This is unreal the support from everyone," he continued. "My wife has just told me some people have set up a GoFundMe, and it honestly breaks my heart. Thank you, everyone from the bottom of my heart, I'm lost for words."
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White and his wife, Lindsay, also uploaded a video of themselves saying "thank you" to the public in which they acknowledged that they had been "a little bit worried about the backlash" before it aired but that they had been "overwhelmed" by the response.
The case was described as "one of the worst cases of misjustice" by one donor who sent money to the family through GoFundMe, and another said they were "so moved" by White's story.
