A terrified mum and dad desperately tried to stop a kidnapper as he took off in their family car - unaware that their toddler was still in the back seat. Luke Joyce jumped into the vehicle, which still had its engine running, as the child's mum was standing at the passenger door.
The 27-year-old, who had only just been released from jail a few weeks before, then sped off in the car - not realising that the two-year-old was sitting in the back. The mum screamed in horror and tried to hang on to the vehicle, but was thrown off.
Joyce then drove back towards her and almost hit the child's dad as he attempted to stop the car, Chronicle Live reports. When the thief eventually noticed the little girl was in the vehicle, he dumped the car several miles away and ran off, leaving the crying tot inside.
Joyce, of Essex Place, Peterlee, pleaded guilty to kidnap, aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified, and driving without insurance. He admitted to the charges on the basis he was unaware there was a child inside the car at the time of the theft.
During his sentencing on Thursday, Durham Crown Court heard that the couple had left their car outside a relative's home in Quarrington Hill, Durham at roughly 7pm on September 21 this year. They were unloading grocery shopping at the time, and had left the keys in the ignition with the engine running.
Prosecutor Martin Towers said: "While the mum was waiting at the passenger-side door, a Nissan X-Trail approached and conducted a manoeuvre to position itself. The defendant then got out of the rear side and went straight into the driver seat of the Vectra and proceeded to drive it from the scene, somewhat noisily."
Joyce then took off in the vehicle before making a U-turn and driving towards the mum as she screamed in fear. The child's father had heard the commotion and ran outside into the street, at which point Joyce drove the car directly at him, forcing the parents to jump out of the way.
Following the incident, several neighbours and nearby family members got into their vehicles to pursue the defendant. One neighbour eventually tracked down the Opel Vectra, which had been abandoned outside of a farm in Ludworth.
The child was found in the backseat "crying and screaming", but was thankfully unharmed. Police arrived at the scene "within seconds" and Joyce was arrested after his DNA was found on a jacket he'd left behind near the scene. He was also caught on CCTV, but denied the offences during police questioning.
In victim impact statements, the mum said she felt as though she had "failed as a mother", with the dad saying that he "keeps repeating the incident" in his head and suffers from anxiety.
Joyce, who had 33 previous convictions, including for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, was on a community order for stalking at the time of the offence following his release from prison on August 4. Mr Towers said that despite Joyce initially not noticing the child in the back seat, once he did, he still did not immediately stop driving.
Jane Waugh, defending, said that whilst serving his previous prison sentence, Joyce had been taken off medication for a serious leg injury he'd sustained in a car crash. She said: "This was an opportunistic offence he committed when he was at a low point. Clearly, he did not steal a car wanting to steal a child. He panicked once he did realise and realises he should have stopped immediately. He didn't know what to do."
She continued: "When he did stop, he made sure he found somewhere safe and left the car in a driveway of a house and threw the keys away so that nobody could drive the car away. It has shocked him, he doesn't know why he committed the offence. He felt at a loss and did something extremely stupid."
Judge James Adkin sentenced Joyce to 30 months in prison and banned him from driving for 51 months.
Christopher Atkinson of CPS North East said: “This must have been a terrifying ordeal for the parents, who both went to significant efforts to try and stop Joyce from driving off with their daughter. Her mother bravely tried to cling to the vehicle before being thrown off by its momentum and her partner was almost struck by the vehicle as he tried to prevent its escape.
“Nearby family members immediately assisted in a search for the vehicle, which was found abandoned in nearby Ludworth minutes later. Thankfully, the couple’s daughter was also found in her seat and was completely unharmed.
“The actions of Luke Joyce were completely reckless – it would have been clear to him almost immediately that there was a young child present in the vehicle. Despite this he fled at speed, which posed a risk of significant injury to the child and her parents. I sincerely hope that his sentence today provides a measure of comfort to the child’s parents, who were understandably shaken by this ordeal.”
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