"he jumped into the driver's seat."
Yusaf Dad, aged 18, of Bradford, was sentenced to two years and three months on May 10, 2019, for a carjacking in which he “shoved” the woman out of her vehicle.
The incident took place on September 26, 2018, when Dad was just 17. He targeted the woman in her 40s as she returned to her Audi S1 following a shopping trip to Morrisons in Thornbury.
Bradford Crown Court heard how Dad had been spotting looking into vehicles in the supermarket carpark that afternoon.
He jumped into the passenger seat of the car as the woman was about to drive away.
Prosecutor Alisha Kaye explained that Dad had demanded the car keys but the woman refused. He was able to open the driver’s door and shove her out of the vehicle.
Miss Kaye said: “She landed on the ground on all fours and he jumped into the driver’s seat.
The woman was hit on the head by the door as Dad shut it before driving off at speed. The woman screamed for help.
The car was later found because the police were able to track the owner’s mobile phone which was still inside.
Miss Kaye stated that Dad’s fingerprints were found on the vehicle. However, three days after the carjacking, he fled to Islamabad where he stayed for five months.
Dad was arrested in February 2019 shortly after returning to the UK.
He pleaded guilty to the carjacking in March. He also pleaded guilty to theft charges relating to offences in August 2017.
Dad had stolen valuable in-car media systems from three cars parked on a Skoda garage forecourt in Huddersfield.
He caused approximately £3,000 worth of damage to the cars and the stolen equipment was worth around £2,800.
In a victim impact statement, the complainant in the carjacking said she felt angry about the fact that Dad thought it was acceptable to steal belongings she had worked hard for.
The Audi had been the woman’s “pride and joy” according to Miss Kaye. But since the carjacking, the woman has not driven and ended up part-exchanging it.
Dad had previously been given community sentences as a youth and a detention and training order.
The court that he had been assessed as being “intellectually disabled” by a psychologist. His barrister Howard Shaw submitted that his client was “easily led, exploited and manipulated”.
Mr Shaw explained that a custodial sentence would result in Dad coming under the influence and control of more sophisticated criminal elements.
The Telegraph & Argus reported that Judge David Hatton QC considered the various reports on Dad. He concluded that the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.
He told Dad:
“No other form of order in my judgement is likely to assister either you or importantly the protection of the public.”
Yusaf Dad was sentenced to two years and three months in a young offender institution. He also received a three-month sentence for the theft offences in 2017 which will be served concurrently.
If he had been an adult at the time of the incident, he would have been jailed for around five years.
Judge Hatton explained that the guidelines for sentencing young people indicated a reduction of between half and two-thirds.
Loading ...