Ambush victim threw himself from moving car to escape
A terrified man hurled himself from a car travelling at over 30mph to escape a £250 debt, a judge heard.
Kieran Aspbury broke his right wrist and two ribs when he hit the road but managed to get to his feet and run off, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
He then hid for 90 minutes as the vehicle toured the area in a fruitless search for him, said Mr David Bennett, prosecuting.
Mr Aspbury had been stopped while walking down Richards Road, Tipton with friends at 9.35pm on August 5 and bundled into the VW Passat which had three men inside.
They included Justin Clarke who had been chasing him for weeks over a £250 debt, the court heard. He sat next to Mr Aspbury in the rear of the car and took two mobile phones from him as the car drove away.
Mr Bennett said: "Threats were issued and a short distance later, while the vehicle was travelling at between 30 and 40 mph, and fearing what was going to happen to him, he jumped out. He then leapt over a fence and hid for one and a half hours as the car remained in the area looking for him."
Mr Aspbury's friends alerted police after the ambush at the junction with Wednesbury Oak Road.
An eye witness provided the registration number of the Passat which was traced to the Smethwick home of Clarke's father where officers found the defendant and the two mobile phones taken from the victim.
Father of three Clarke had been owed the money for a considerable amount of time and Mr Aspbury had been deliberately avoiding his phone calls, the court heard.
The defendant had previous convictions involving 20 offences, none of which involved violence, said Mr Stephen Hamblett, defending, who concluded: "This was an isolated incident."
Clarke, of Enville Road, Spring Hill, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Aspbury and was jailed for 16 months.
Judge Amjad Nawaz said: "This is what happens when you take the law into your own hands. The sum of money involved was paltry when compared with the prison sentence you have received. It is your own fault.
"You did not physically push him out of the car but, fearing the worst, he jumped out while the car was in motion. It is only by the grace of God that you are not facing a more serious charge."
