Car thief drove off with elderly blind woman still inside

David Stephenson, 51, was sentenced this week to eight years and 6 months in prison after being found guilty of kidnap of the woman who also had dementia, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving and driving without a license.

On Saturday, January 6 2024, Greater Manchester Police received a panicked call from the daughter of an 89-year-old woman whose car had been stolen from Ashton-under-Lyne with her elderly mother still in it.

As it was January, she had left the engine running to keep the heating on in the car to keep her elderly mother warm for 10 minutes while she went into the shops.

David Stephenson was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of kidnap (Image: GMP)

Stephenson, of no fixed abode, not phased by the fact a vulnerable elderly woman was in the passenger seat, got in the car and drove off.

Specialist officers from GMP's Roads Policing Unit were immediately notified, and due to the risk posed to the passenger, a pursuit was authorised.

Police brought the car to a safe stop, detained Stephenson, and reunited the victim with her daughter.

Chief Inspector Matt Jackson from our Specialist Operations said: “This must have been really terrifying for the woman who was in the passenger seat when the car got stolen.

A still from police camera footage showing officers in pursuit of David Stephenson (Image: GMP)

"She is blind and has dementia, she wouldn’t have known what was going on – I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through her mind.

“I am proud of my officers, whose fast thinking and ability to remain calm in any given situation, meant we were able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, and swiftly arrest Stephenson.

“Their response meant that the woman was safety reunited with her daughter, it could have ended very differently if we didn’t work the way we did to get her back safe.”