A VIOLENT carjacker has been jailed for dragging a driver out of his seat and stealing his vehicle.

Benjamin Darbyshire was armed with a screw which he pressed into the neck of victim Ben Williams, who thought he was going to be killed in the attack in Hatherleigh.

Mr Williams was sat in his car chatting with friends late at night when Darbyshire approached and started talking to him. He reached into the car and snatched the keys but Mr Williams grabbed them back and tried to start his Nissan Micra. Darbyshire responded by opening the door and dragging him out.

He grabbed him in a headlock and pushed a screw into the side of his neck before dropping him, ordering the passengers out of the Nissan, and driving off. He failed to stop when police tried to flag him down and officers had to deploy a stinger device to deflate the wheels before they were able to arrest him in Upcott Hill, Okehampton.

Darbyshire, aged 30, of Market Street, Hatherleigh, admitted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, drink driving, failing to stop, and having no licence or insurance.

He was jailed for a total of three years and six months by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court, who also banned him from driving for a year after his release. 

The judge told him: ‘What you did scared the victim enormously. When you held him in a headlock with a sharp object pushed into his neck, he felt he might be killed. One can understand why he feared the worst.’

Mr Gordon Richings, prosecuting, said the attack took place when Mr Williams and two friends were stood around his car in Bridge Street Car Park in Hatherleigh at around 11pm on February 15 this year.

Darbyshire joined them and grabbed the keys without warning or explanation. He became violent when Mr Williams grabbed them back and tried to drive off. He left the victim and his passengers in the car park while he drove off and a police chase ensued in which an initial attempt to stop him failed and a stinger was deployed.

A breath test gave a reading of 47 microgrammes in breath against the upper limit of 35.

Mr Williams suffered a scratch to his neck and bruising from his spectacles being pressed into his face as he was held in the headlock. He was particularly worried because he knew Darbyshire had a reputation for violence.

Miss Emmi Wilson, defending, said Darbyshire’s offending arose from his abuse of alcohol, which in turn was caused by unresolved issues in his past which he is unable to talk about.

She said he intends to access counselling for the first time while in prison and intends to make a new start away from Hatherleigh when he is released.