Robbers tried to force woman into car boot
VICTIM ESCAPED AND PAIR SOON ARRESTED
TWO men who attacked a woman before trying to force her into a car boot have been jailed.
The pair targeted the woman in a late-night robbery in September.
Keiran Moss and Darren Dunstan fled the scene at a Nottingham shopping park in the victim’s car after she managed to get away and were later caught as they drove to Leicester.
They appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Moss, 36, of Wheatacre Road, Clifton, and Dunstan, 37, of Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, approached the woman as she was trying to park her car on September 4.
They forced the driver’s side door open before Moss put the woman into a headlock and dragged her from the car. He had snatched her phone, which he handed to Dunstan.
He told the woman to open the boot and get inside. When the woman tried to break free, Moss grabbed her neck and said “Don’t be stupid or I’m going to beat you up”, Nottinghamshire Police said.
The victim was punched in the face twice before she managed to escape and ran away screaming for help. After trying to chase her, both men fled in her car at high speed, with Moss at the wheel.
The woman sustained injuries to her face, neck and shoulders during the late-night attack at Castle Marina.
As the men drove to Leicester, the car was recognised on automatic number plate recognition cameras and both men were arrested an hour later.
Dunstan assaulted a police officer while in custody and racially abused a second officer.
Moss was charged with robbery and driving while disqualified, while Dunstan was charged with robbery, assault of an emergency worker and racially aggravated harassment.
The pair pleaded guilty to all the charges.
An impact statement read in court, on behalf of the victim said: “This whole experience has been life-changing and has caused me to suffer flashbacks and anxiety.
“It has left me worried about the safety of my family.”
Sentencing, Judge Rupert Mayo said: “This was a joint attack on a lone female, who was on her own.
“What happened next was terrifying and has resulted in life-changing consequences.”
Moss was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. Dunstan was also jailed for five years.
Det Con Gillian Cutts, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Moss and Dunstan’s actions that night were absolutely deplorable – but thankfully, following swift action by officers they have been locked up and taken off the streets for a significant time.
“They worked in tandem to put a woman through an incredibly distressing experience.”