Terrified woman pulled from her car by robber in Tipton
A masked robber who bundled a terrified woman out of her car and drove off in the vehicle has started a six-year jail sentence.
Ricky Butler struck as the 57-year-old carer called to check the address of her next appointment, a judge heard.
The engine of the car was running when Butler suddenly appeared alongside the parked vehicle in Glebefields Road in Tipton, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
Prosecutor Mr Mark Phillips explained: "The driver's door was opened by a man wearing a hoodie who had his face covered. He unclipped the seatbelt of the woman who was very scared.
He grabbed her by the collar and tried to pull her out. She resisted but he used increasing amounts of strength to remove her."
The head of the carer repeatedly struck the door frame before she was tugged out and left on the ground as Butler, 24, drove off at 6pm on February 21. The victim flagged down a motorist who alerted police, the court heard.
Officers spotted the stolen car in nearby Tame Road where Butler fled on foot before he knocked on the door of a house. Butler, who was found on one of the beds, was forensically linked to the stolen car, said the prosecutor.
Father-of-one Butler, from Sycamore Road, Tipton, admitted robbery and driving while disqualified. He had 15 previous convictions for robbery, attempted robbery and assault with intent to rob. He had been banned from the roads for drink-driving and was on bail for an unrelated assault when he stole the car, the court was told.
Mr Jasvir Mann, defending, said: "He has a predilection to the use of alcohol."
Butler was sent to prison and banned from driving for a further four years by Judge Nicholas Webb who told him: "You are a determined and incorrigible robber."
