He was looking for somewhere to sleep when he spotted the car with the engine running while it de-misted in cold weather
Mark Armstrong was jailed at Hull Crown Court(Image: Humberside Police)
A callous thief who was looking for somewhere to sleep for the night stole a man’s car – containing a disabled girl’s wheelchair – after threatening and intimidating the owner. Drug-taking serial criminal Mark Armstrong suddenly spotted his chance when he saw the car open and unattended after the owner left it to warm up on a cold winter day.
The man was about to use the car to transport his daughter but Armstrong drove off in it, leaving the girl distraught and without her wheelchair, Hull Crown Court heard. Armstrong, 40, of Saxby Road, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted theft of a vehicle, driving while disqualified and having no insurance at Waveney Road on December 2.
Stephen Littlewood, prosecuting, said that a man turned on the de-mister of his Renault Austral car because of the cold weather and left it running. Armstrong was nearby and he saw that the car was unattended.
The owner returned to find Armstrong sitting inside the car. He shouted at Armstrong to get out but the defendant told him “Get in” – or risk the car being taken and him dragged along by being trapped in the door.
The man grabbed a bag belonging to his daughter from inside the car and he stepped away. The car was found two streets away two days later.
A wheelchair belonging to the man’s disabled daughter had been in the car when it was stolen. It was not recovered for some time but, when it was, it had a broken arm and this cost £70 to repair.
Armstrong claimed that he abandoned the car and that missing items must have been taken from it after that. The man later said that his daughter had struggled since the incident.
“She has become quiet, which upsets me,” he said. Armstrong had convictions for 143 previous offences, 53 of them for dishonesty, mostly shoplifting. He had been jailed for six weeks for burglary.
Molly Minter, mitigating, said that the intimidation and threats of force used by Armstrong against the man were “very short” and not significant. “There was little or no planning,” said Miss Minter.
“It was an opportunistic offence.” Armstrong was walking past the car on a very cold day and he wanted somewhere to sleep because he was homeless.
“He is incredibly remorseful,” said Miss Minter. “He is in incredibly ashamed of his behaviour.” Armstrong had no idea that the daughter of the car owner was disabled and had a wheelchair inside the vehicle.
He would not have taken the car if he had known that. Father-of-three Armstrong, a former fisherman, had substance misuse issues.
“He got into the wrong crowd,” said Miss Minter. “Being in prison has helped straighten him out again.” He had been in custody on remand since December 4.
Judge John Thackray KC told Armstrong: “Your victim was preparing to use his vehicle for transporting his disabled daughter. You came on the scene and decided to steal his vehicle.
“When he challenged you, instead of seeing sense and making off and leaving the vehicle, you threatened him. He, fortunately, didn’t challenge you any further.
“He grabbed his daughter’s bag and stepped away. You took the vehicle and his daughter’s wheelchair, which wasn’t immediately recovered.
“When it was, it was broken and it cost money to replace. Times are hard enough without people having to deal with the financial cost of crime.
“There was intimidation and the implicit use of the threat of force. You have a history going back a very long time.”
Armstrong was jailed for 21 months and he was banned from driving for 16 months.
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