A rejected man who went on a nine-day criminal rampage after stabbing his ex-girlfriend because she broke up with him has been jailed.
Lee Martin, 42, sparked a manhunt in Birmingham after he carried out a series of car-jackings before targeting lone female drivers at knife point.
His ex had just ended their relationship when he decided to ambush her at a cemetery, stabbing her before he decided to go on the run, BirminghamLive reports.
Footage from the day of Martin's arrest shows armed police and dog handlers surrounding a house he was hiding in - at one point he can be seen throwing a baseball bat at waiting cops.
Bodycam footage then show's how Martin tried to flee before he was chased down officers and dogs as he was attempting to climb a fence.
Appearing in Birmingham Crown Court, Martin, of Trinity Road in Aston, was jailed for 18 years and banned for driving for 12 years.
Martin turned violent on September 5, 2021, after his partner broke up with and blocked him on social media – hours later he ambushed her at a cemetery in Shirley, Birmingham, where she was visiting her late sister.
He managed to sneak into her car, stabbing her in the leg where she had a tattoo in remembrance of her late sister, before keeping her against her will.
When the victim was able to escape, Martin then was forced to go on the run and launch a crime spree all over Birmingham.
Three days later, Martin approached a pregnant woman struggling to park her car in a tight space.
He offered to help before intimidating her and ultimately stealing her vehicle.
Two days later, on September 10 2021, Martin stole a woman’s car at knifepoint in an Asda car park before later entering a home without consent – he escaped through an upstairs window.
The following day, Martin targeted another lone woman, threatening her with a knife before taking her car and money.
On September 13, Martin was spotted by CCTV stealing a pick-up truck. Neighbours were alerting each other about a man trespassing on garden’s carrying a knife.
Later that evening, he attacked another lone woman with a cider bottle, hitting her over her head before again stealing her car and handbag.
Before finally being arrested on September 14, Martin attacked two more people, unsuccessfully trying to steal their cars in separate assaults.
He was charged with four robberies, four counts of possession of a knife, assault, common assault, assault with intent to rob, aggravated vehicle taking and property damage, criminal damage and attempted robbery.
He appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on 3 November and pleaded guilty to all charges but not guilty to kidnap and wounding.
Martin was later found guilty of kidnap and wounding.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Sproson, from force CID, said: “This has been one of the most challenging cases in the force’s history.
“But that’s not because Lee is a master criminal. Far from it. Lee Martin is a weak individual who preyed on lone women and used intimidation to bully his way into people’s houses who he knew he could overpower due to their vulnerabilities and would then stay with them to avoid capture.
“He reacted to opportunities that were presented to him and he has nothing to show for this other that a lengthy custodial sentence. His desperation to avoid capture was high and this enabled him to be ruthless when he approached people. He would show excessive force to prevent being captured.
“From the moment the first crime was committed, we started searching for Martin. Our appeals were seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the region.
"That resulted in lots of possible sighting that we had to sort and respond to. Their help and good police work mean he will be an old man when he is released from jail having sadly wasted his life behind bars.
“I can’t stress enough how the community really came together to support us in capturing Martin. Thank you to everyone who shared our appeals, called us with information and made changes to their security arrangements to stop him.”
