A thug who carjacked an Audi with a two-year-old strapped into a child seat in the back before dropping the toddler out of the WINDOW has been jailed for over seven years.
Lee Southall flagged the flash motor down in Stechford, Birmingham, on the pretence of asking for directions on September 2 last year.
But when the driver opened the window, the 39-year-old punched him in the face and sprayed him with an unknown substance before grabbing the keys.
He then sped off before stopping a short distance down the road when he realised there was a two-year-old boy strapped into a child seat in the back.
Incredibly, Southall dropped the toddler out of the window before disappearing in the Audi – leaving the driver and his partner rushing to check on the tot.
He managed to get away with the car – which was never recovered – but just days later the boy’s mother spotted the carjacker on a photo on a pal’s Facebook page.
She contacted police but Southall went on the run for several weeks before he was eventually tracked down by detectives and arrested.
After initially denying the offence, Southall pleaded guilty to robbery when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court in April this year.
Last Friday, Southall, of no fixed address, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years with an extended licence period of four years.
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Damian Forrest, from West Midlands Police, said: “This young couple only stopped their car to offer help and found themselves by the side of the road watching their son being driven away at considerable speed.
“Thankfully the two-year-old boy’s ordeal lasted only a few seconds and he was swiftly reunited, unhurt, with his parents.
“But his father suffered a cut lip and other facial injuries.
“By chance the child’s mother spotted Southall whilst browsing a friend’s Facebook page a few days later.
“Southall became aware he’d been identified and went on the run but we found him a month later.
“At the time of his arrest Southall was still on licence for his role in an armed robbery in Burntwood in March 2009.
“The judge recognised that Southall is a dangerous offender and I am pleased that he will be removed from the streets for some considerable time.”
