THE father of a man accused of carjacking a disabled woman outside Maitland swimming pool and torching her specially modified vehicle has pleaded guilty to his role in the theft.
Mark Creighton, 48, of Rutherford, appeared in Newcastle Local Court last week via audio visual link from jail where he pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the theft of one vehicle and the attempted theft of another at Maitland on September 12 last year.
Mark Creighton was allegedly with his son, Jaxson Creighton, 25, outside Maitland railway station when Jaxson allegedly jumped behind the wheel of a car parked outside.
The driver had left the vehicle running while she got out briefly to greet a number of family members who had just arrived on the train when Jaxson got in, locked the doors and began revving the engine loudly.
Other cars and a taxi blocked the vehicle in and allegedly prevented Jaxson from driving away, while his father repeatedly told him to "get out" and, once the door was unlocked, pulled him out saying "come here you f---".
According to court documents, Jaxson and Mark then ran away and were chased by a man over the footbridge towards Maitland swimming pool.
It was there that a disabled woman and her support worker, both aged in their 60s, were getting into a car, again with the keys in the ignition, when Jaxson allegedly appeared and jumped into the driver's seat.
"What are you doing, mate?" Mark yelled. "What are you doing? There are people here."
He told him "don't reverse", but Jaxson allegedly did anyway, Mark having to push the women out of the way to avoid them being run over.
"If I had not been pulled backward, I am sure that both [the support worker] and I would have been run over," the woman said.
Mark ran after the car and when it stopped he got into the driver's seat and drove away, a witness recording the whole thing on their mobile phone.
Police said the specially modified vehicle was found burnt out at Singleton later that night.
Jaxson is due to appear in court next week and is expected to enter pleas to charges of aggravated stealing, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention and damaging property by fire.
