An 89-year-old blind woman with dementia was accidentally abducted during a car theft in Greater Manchester. The thief was arrested after a police chase, and the woman was safely returned to her family.
On a cold day in January, in Greater Manchester, a car theft took an alarming turn when the thief unknowingly abducted an 89-year-old blind woman suffering from dementia. The incident occurred after the car owner briefly left the vehicle running to keep her mother warm while she entered a shop. David Stephenson, a 51-year-old with no fixed abode, seized the opportunity to steal the car with the elderly woman still inside.
The daughter, upon realizing the car was stolen, made an urgent call to the emergency services, informing them that her vehicle along with her disabled mother had been taken. Greater Manchester Police swiftly responded, pursuing Stephenson through the streets of Ashton-under-Lyne. The high-speed chase ended with police successfully stopping the stolen vehicle and apprehending Stephenson.
The entire ordeal was captured on police dashcam footage, which was later released to the public. Stephenson was subsequently sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, and driving without a licence.
The elderly woman was safely reunited with her daughter, who was deeply shaken by the event. Chief Inspector Matt Jackson of the Greater Manchester Police commended the responding officers for their rapid and composed handling of the situation, which he noted could have ended much more gravely.
