Motorist left with serious injuries in carjacking at Birmingham petrol station

The car owner was filling his tyres with air at a garage in Chester Road, Tyburn, in November last year when robber William Lewis climbed into the driver's seat and attempted to drive off in it.

While Lewis, aged 40, was driving away, the owner became trapped under the car resulting in him being dragged for some distance. Lewis then climbed out to pull him from under the car, but left him lying on the ground before fleeing the scene.

West Midlands Police then launched a huge CCTV operation to find footage from the garage and surrounding vehicles to track the car's movements.

It was eventually found abandoned in the Chelmsley Wood where Lewis was traced to an address in the area.

Further checks found that the defendant was also responsible for other car thefts in Yardley and Solihull.

Lewis was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for 11 years and six months for robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm.

He was also charged with assaulting officers in custody as well as a previous burglary in Birmingham.

Det Sgt Curt Wilkins, who led the investigation, said: "This was a shocking robbery which left the victim with serious and long-lasting injuries. Thanks to the overwhelming amount of evidence linking William Lewis to the crime, we were able to track him down, build our case and charge him.

"He is clearly a highly dangerous individual and it is a good thing for the public that he is now off the streets. Hopefully the people he has harmed through his history of offending can gain some comfort from the knowledge he has been brought to justice."