A kidnapper stole a family car and sped off dangerously, unaware that a baby was sitting in the back seat.
Luke Joyce jumped into a family car that had its engine running on September 21 this year as the mother of the child stood at the passenger door. The 27-year-old, who had only been released from prison weeks earlier, then sped off in the vehicle, completely unaware the mum's two-year-old daughter was sitting in the backseat.
As the mum screamed in terror, Joyce drove back in her direction and nearly hit the child's dad as he tried to stop the car. When Joyce finally realised there was a child in the car, he abandoned the vehicle miles away and then ran off, leaving the crying baby inside.
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Joyce, of Essex Place, Peterlee, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for kidnap, aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified, and driving without insurance. He pleaded guilty to the charges on the basis he was unaware there was a child in the car at the time he stole the vehicle.
The court heard that at around 7pm on September 21, a couple had left their car outside of a relative's home in Quarrington Hill, Durham as their baby sat in a car seat in the backseat. The keys had been left in the ignition and the engine was running as the mum stood at the vehicle's passenger door and the dad had gone into the home to drop off shopping.
Martin Towers, prosecuting, said: "While the mum was waiting at the passenger-side door, a Nissan X-Trail approached and conducted a manoeuvre to position itself. The defendant then got out of the rear side and went straight into the driver seat of the Vectra and proceeded to drive it from the scene, somewhat noisily."
Joyce then drove off before turning round and coming back in the direction he'd taken the car as the mum screamed in terror. By this point, the child's father had ran out into the street as Joyce drove the car directly at him, causing the parents to jump out of the way.
The court heard that many helpful neighbours who had heard the commotion got in their vehicles and gave chase. One neighbour finally managed to track down the Vectra, which had been abandoned outside of a farm in Ludworth as the unharmed child remained in the backseat "crying and screaming". Police then arrived "within seconds" and Joyce was eventually tracked down after his DNA was found on a jacket he'd left behind near the scene. He was also identified from CCTV and in interview denied the offences.
In victim impact statements, the mum said she felt like she had "failed as a mother", with the dad saying he suffers from anxiety and "keeps repeating the incident" to himself.
Joyce, who had 33 previous convictions, including for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, had only been released from prison on August 4 and was on a community order for stalking at the time. Mr Towers added that despite Joyce initially not realising there was a child in the car, once he did, he still did not stop immediately.
Jane Waugh, defending, said that whilst serving his previous prison sentence, Joyce had been taken off medication for a serious leg injury he'd sustained in a car crash. She said: "This was an opportunistic offence he committed when he was at a low point. Clearly, he did not steal a car wanting to steal a child. He panicked once he did realise and realises he should have stopped immediately. He didn't know what to do."
She added: "When he did stop, he made sure he found somewhere safe and left the car in a driveway of a house and threw the keys away so that nobody could drive the car away. It has shocked him, he doesn't know why he committed the offence. He felt at a loss and did something extremely stupid."
Judge James Adkin jailed Joyce for 30 months and banned him from driving for 51 months.
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