A MAN who stole a woman’s car and then hit her with it as he fled the scene has been jailed.

Ryan Richards, aged 23, of Tempest Street, Daubhill, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving and theft.

Richards stole the car, with a passenger still in the rear seat, from Vicky West on November 13, at 4.10am in Shepherd Cross Street, Halliwell.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Miss West had gone into a side alley to be sick when Richards took the car.

He drove away, released the terrified passenger before turning round and hitting Miss West.

She suffered significant ligament damage, which forced her to be off work for a couple of weeks, but no broken bones.

The court was told how Richards has many previous convictions for driving offences and was disqualified at the time of these offences, which included the theft of Miss West’s iPhone that was in the car at the time.

Sentencing him to two years in jail, Judge Timothy Stead said: “You caused this woman injury, pain and suffering, two weeks off work on crutches and she is now nervous in situations similar to this.

“Given this, the fact this fell into two stages of offending — the car theft while disqualified, and then the dangerous driving and phone theft — and your record for dishonesty, a lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable.”

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