Face of drug addict who dragged woman along road in carjacking

[dutchman]

Anthony Howard is now serving a four-year prison sentence



This is the face of a heroin and cocaine addict who dragged a woman along the road as he stole her car.

Anthony Howard jumped in to the driver's seat of a Volkswagen Golf after the owner left the door open and keys in the ignition while she used the cash machine at a supermarket in Coventry.

As the victim tried to pull him out of the car, he pushed her hand away and started to drive off, dragging the woman along for a few metres before she let go.

Howard, 31, of Humbleton Drive, Binley, was jailed yesterday for four years and two months after pleading guilty at Warwick Crown Court to robbery and dangerous driving.

The carjacking happened at around 6am at the Keresley supermarket in Keresley Green Road.

After reversing into a parking space, the victim left the car door open and the key in the ignition – but as she was using the machine she became aware of a man walking towards the car with his head down, prosecutor Paul Dhami told the crown court.

Anticipating what he was going to do, she left the cash machine and ran towards the car as Howard was getting in, grabbing hold of his jumper and telling him to get out.

But he pushed her hand away and began to drive off, pulling her to the ground and dragging her along for one or two metres before she let go.

Howard drove off into Keresley Green Road, going the wrong way round a roundabout in the car, in which the woman had a child seat and various personal possessions.

As a result of the incident the woman, who says she relied on the car for work, suffered grazing and bruising, but no serious injuries, added Mr Dhami.

Jailing Howard and banning him from driving for three years, Judge Peter Cooke told him: “Having viewed the video of what you did, I take the view your driving was dangerous, because you dragged a pedestrian alongside the car.

“That is a seriously aggravating feature of the robbery offence, so to pass a consecutive sentence for the dangerous driving would not be appropriate.

“Although I accept this was an impromptu offence after you saw the lady leave her car and leave the door open, and it was only ever intended to be a theft, the risk the owner would see you and try to stop you was plain as a pikestaff.

“It was equally foreseeable that driving off while she was trying to stop you was likely to cause injury.”