Woman dragged '150 yards' on floor as thieves grabbed Apple watch and drove off
A woman was dragged along the ground for up to 150 yards as two robbers drove off with her Apple Watch.
A man reached out from a passenger seat and grabbed the watch from her hand and he still had hold of her as well when his accomplice at the wheel of the car drove away. It meant the woman was dragged along the road until the robber let go and she fell, banging her head on the ground, Hull Crown Court heard.
James Sturman, who will turn 21 on Tuesday, of Winterton, near Scunthorpe, and Jack Porter, 21, of Burton upon Stather, both admitted robbing the woman at Weel, near Beverley, on February 2, 2021. Porter also admitted careless driving. Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that the woman advertised an Apple smart watch for sale on Facebook on January 30, 2021 and she was contacted by several people, including Porter. He offered her £200 and she said that this was too little but she added that she would accept £225.
It was agreed that Porter would pick up the watch while she also was contacted by Sturman and who said that the price of £225 was fine. The woman was already suspicious because of receiving messages from both of them so close together and because they were written in a very similar way.
The pair arrived at her home and she handed the watch box to Sturman and the car drove off, but the woman had taken the watch out because she felt uneasy about them. The car then returned with Sturman apologising and saying: "He's not long passed his test."
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Sturman then reached out of the window for the watch but the woman asked for the money first. She confirmed the price of the watch was £225 and Sturman began counting out money from a wallet and put £20 notes under his leg. He handed the money to her but she told him: "There's only £120 there." Two of the notes were fake.
"Sturman lunged out of the passenger window and grabbed her left hand and wrenched the watch from her grasp," said Mr Welch. Porter began to drive off with Sturman still holding on to the woman. "She was terrified that she was going to get seriously hurt or killed," said Mr Welch, reported HullLive.
The woman was dragged down the road for what she thought was about 150 yards before Sturman let go of her hand. "As she fell, she banged her head on the ground and she rolled away down the pavement," said Mr Welch. Sturman was later identified from Facebook and made no comment during police interview. Porter admitted going with Sturman to the woman's home and claimed that he drove off after being told to do so by Sturman when she grabbed his arm.
The woman later said that she had previously been a confident person and did not really suffer anxiety in her day-to-day life, but she had now improved her house security and had changed the locks. She had bought dogs to provide extra reassurance and had given up her job in order to work from home. "The victim still seems to be suffering substantial psychological harm three years later," added Mr Welch.
Judge Tahir Khan KC said: "This wasn't a plan to go and rob somebody. Whatever happened, happened on the spur of the moment. If there was any criminal intent, it was most likely to be an offence of dishonesty, possibly a fraud rather than a violent offence. This wasn't a premeditated robbery." He continued: "I have absolutely no doubt that neither of you intended that anybody should be hurt but she was hurt, albeit the injuries were not of a gravely serious nature. Both of you bitterly regret what happened. This is a serious offence."
Sturman and Porter were each given an 18-month suspended custodial sentence and 150 hours' unpaid work. Sturman was also given 15 days' rehabilitation while Porter was given six penalty points on his driving licence. "This isn't just a let-off," said Judge Khan. "There is logic in the decision-making of the judge. Losing your good character is a big thing."
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