A MOTORIST who died in a crash in East Lancashire was driving away from a burglary which left a rental firm boss and his family distraught, it has emerged.

Twenty-year-old Shane Maughan, also known as Shane Barr, was driving a silver Ford Mondeo in the Rossendale Road area of Burnley on November 7 last year when the car was in collision with a taxi, Burnley Crown Court was told.

This emerged as another man in the Mondeo, Carl Bate, 36, was jailed for 16 months for his role in the break-in at Priority Rental at Union Road, Oswaldtwistle.

Bate was detained by Lancashire Police at the scene after the gates at the rental firm were busted open, just before midnight, the court heard.

Prosecutor Emma Kehoe said that the Mondeo drove off and was later involved in a collision in which Mr Barr suffered serious injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

After his arrest Bate, who is from the St Helens area, admitted that he had driven to East Lancashire with Mr Barr and another man, claiming he had been told they were going to lay tarmacadam.

But Judge Beverley Lunt said: "He was going to lay tarmac at 11.40pm at night? Even I've driven from Liverpool to Lancashire and it doesn't take four hours to get there."

Bate, of Swan Avenue, St Helens, who was described as a 'career criminal', admitted to stealing a camper van.

Ms Kehoe said the rental company was covered by CCTV, which caught three men acting suspiciously. A loud bang was heard and Waheed Ahmed, who runs the firm, saw a camper van had been moved outside the broken gates.

Police arrived shortly afterwards and Bate was detained as he attempted to run to the Mondeo outside.

The victims later told police that the break-in had caused them great anxiety and members of the family, who lived close to the premises, had been struggling to sleep.

Steven Flynn, defending, said Bate was initially under the apprehension that he was going to undertake tarmacadam work but accepted he was later aware of what was actually going on.