Thief drove off with shopworker clinging to his car bonnet

Sidney Turton, 66, reversed his Fiat Multipla into Andrew Duke, who works for Pets at Home at Three Lakes Retail Park in Selby, after Mr Duke had suspected him of theft and followed him out of the shop, York Crown Court heard.

Mr Duke said he was struck on the leg, then ran to the front of the car, only for Turton to drive straight at him “at speed”.

The employee dived onto the car bonnet but Turton put his foot down and sped through the car park, said prosecutor Vincent Blake-Barnard.

The barrister said Turton, whose wife was in the passenger seat, drove deliberately at parked cars in an attempt to throw the shop worker off the bonnet, weaving between parked cars as Mr Duke banged on the windscreen.

He eventually stopped and Mr Duke “threw himself” off the bonnet.

Turton drove off after the incident, on March 15 last year, but was later arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, common assault and shoplifting. He immediately admitted shoplifting but initially denied dangerous-driving and assault.

He appeared for an adjourned hearing on Tuesday after initially entering not-guilty pleas to the charges last August, but changed his pleas to guilty on the basis that he didn’t see Mr Duke as he reversed his car in the shopping complex. He also claimed he did not try to throw Mr Duke off the bonnet.

Turton, of Hastings Grove, Wakefield, claimed that although he had driven towards the shop worker, it was at “low speed”.

He also denied the prosecution claim that he was driving “too fast to allow (Mr Duke) to get off safely”.

The CPS also says that Turton was driving “round and round the car park” - a claim the pensioner denies.

Mr Blake-Barnard said Turton’s vehicle was driven continuously for more than 100 metres before the vehicle stopped and Mr Duke was finally able to get off.

Turton denied this, claiming that he kept stopping the vehicle because he “just wanted (Mr Duke) to get off the bonnet”.

Mr Blake-Barnard said the CPS might have difficulty accepting this basis of plea, adding: “He (Turton) has gone between cars as he was moving through the car park. The Crown would say he was deliberately driving towards cars to try to knock off Mr Duke.”

Turton’s barrister Rosemary Kavanagh said: “He denies he drove very fast. He doesn’t remember going through parked cars but accepts he could have done as a short-cut.”

She said Turton, who uses a walking stick, had “physical and mental-health difficulties”, but added: “He knows that what he did was incredibly dangerous and stupid.”

Judge Alistair Macdonald QC said: “He could have killed that man.”

He adjourned sentence to March 14, but warned Turton: “Driving around a car park with somebody on the bonnet is a very serious offence. All options are open to the court, including imprisonment.”

Turton was given unconditional bail until the sentence hearing.