Christopher James Christian, of James Street, smashed the window of The Top Shop in Alder Road with a rock then took four bottles of booze before driving off in a stolen Mitsubishi Shogun.
Christian, aged 31, pleaded guilty to seven offences and has been committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery to appear on March 20.
Prosecutor Hazel Carroon told the court how, between 10pm and 6am on March 1 and 2, a Mitsubishi Shogun was stolen from the car park at the Tynwald Hill Inn in St John’s.
A witness told police that at 7.05am on March 2 they saw a man smash the window of The Top Shop with a large rock.
He then went inside and tried to open the cash till. After failing he threw the till onto the floor and instead took four bottles of booze.
The witness said that the man stumbled to a Mitsubishi Shogun, got in and drove off.
The man was later identified as Christian, said to be nicknamed ’Dizzy’.
Christian was then seen by police driving on St Ninian’s Road. A driver was waiting at the junction with Ballaquayle Road when she was shunted from behind by Christian in the Mitsubishi.
The driver was about to get out when she was again shunted from behind by Christian.
He then mounted the pavement, driving around the other car and onto Ballaquayle Road before heading onto Woodbourne Road.
Police followed but then lost Christian due to traffic congestion.
At 4.45pm police received a report of a sighting of Christian in Peel where he was finally arrested.
The Mitsubishi was found in a car park just off Circular Road in Douglas.
unsophisticated
Defending Christian in court his advocate Deborah Myerscough submitted that her client should be dealt with in summary court, saying that it was an unsophisticated commercial burglary, at 7am, and that there had been no injuries due to Christian’s driving.
Christian pleaded guilty to seven offences of taking a vehicle without consent, burglary theft, driving while disqualified, failing to stop after a road traffic accident, failing to report a road traffic accident, driving with no insurance and dangerous driving.
The court heard that Christian had also been scheduled to go on trial on March 22 for an offence of going equipped to steal which he had previously pleaded not guilty to but that charge was also withdrawn by the prosecutor.
It was also said that Christian had a number of taking without consent offences on his record as well as five burglary convictions dating back to 2013 or earlier.
Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes ruled that Christian should be committed to the higher court and remanded him in custody.