Persistent Paddock Wood criminal jailed

A persistent criminal who stole a delivery van with the driver still holding on has been jailed for more than six years.

Danny Lee jumped into the vehicle alongside a teenage boy while it was sitting idle in Ringden Avenue, Paddock Wood, on 11 January 2024.

And despite the delivery driver attempting to hold onto the teenager, the 25 year old put his foot down and sped out of the road, forcing her to let go.

A short time later the stolen van was tracked to a nearby address where Lee, the 16 year old boy and two others, Elijah Smith and Danny Lee Senior, were seen taking parcels into a nearby address before they were arrested.

Lee fled the scene as officers arrived, but he was later arrested and charged with aggravated vehicle taking and robbery after his DNA was found on the steering wheel, gear lever and driver’s door.

On Wednesday 8 July 2026 he was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months at Maidstone Crown Court for the robbery and two prior incidents.

Pursuit in stolen vehicle

The judge heard how on 7 April 2021 Lee, of Cogate Road, Paddock Wood, had fled from patrols after they had spotted him driving a stolen vehicle in Mereworth.

The car had been reported stolen in Orpington a few days earlier and despite officers requesting Lee to pull over, he continued driving and was clocked at speeds of 60mph in a 30mph zone and making a number of dangerous manoeuvres.

He eventually came to a stop on a mud track near Kent Street where he jumped out of the car and attempted to evade arrest by running across a field.

Despite his effort to get away Lee was quickly apprehended by officers and arrested at the scene. A search of the vehicle led officers to find a small plastic pot containing 13 deal bags of cocaine. A quantity of cash was also found inside his coat pocket.

He was later charged with dangerous driving, handling stolen goods and possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Cable thefts

Lee also admitted to breaking into several farms in Tonbridge in September 2024 where he stole copper cables and various tools.

In one incident, he burgled a site in Yalding where he stole around £20,000 worth of irrigation equipment and power cables from a work shed.

Lee was caught on camera later the same day selling some of the stolen items for scrap. He was arrested two days later and subsequently charged with burglary.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Celia King, said:
‘Despite Lee being on bail after being charged with several offences relating to the stolen vehicle and copper cables, he showed a complete lack of care by assaulting an innocent delivery driver and stealing her van.
‘It was only sheer luck that the victim did not sustain serious injuries that day as it could have ended very differently.’

Associates

The following people were also charged in connection to the delivery van robbery.

• Danny Lee Senior, 46, of Cogate Road in Paddock Wood, admitted theft of a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 19 months in jail at Maidstone Crown Court on 22 April 2026.

• Elijah Smith, 26, of Maple Leaf Drive in Lenham, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and was sentenced on 13 April to 9 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

• A boy from Hampshire, who was 16 at the time of the offence, was charged with robbery and being carried in a vehicle without the owner’s consent. On 13 April he was handed a 12 month community order, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114, handed a 15 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.