The manager of a social club has described how she feared her partner “was going to die” after he clung onto the door of a car in an attempt to stop a burglar, a court has heard.
Russell Larcombe, 49, had been trying to break in to The Woodland Club in Tacolneston, near Wymondham.
Norwich Crown Court heard social club manager Denise Howard and her partner Glenn Sheehan turned up after being notified of the break-in by an alarm.
Andrew Oliver, prosecuting, said they found Larcombe at the premises but the defendant told them he had “seen someone run off”.
Larcombe, who had a torch on him, tried to walk past the victims to a car but was tackled by Mr Sheehan, who tried to prevent him leaving.
Mr Sheehan tried to make a grab for the car keys but was unsuccessful and “the car left with him hanging onto the door”.
Mr Oliver added: “Such was his fear of being severely injured, he let go and fell to the floor”.
Speaking after the case Miss Howard, 54, said: “I was hysterical. It was all just one big blur. I just thought he (Mr Sheehan) was going do die.”
Mr Sheehan, also 54, described how he had tried to grab the door and the keys to stop the defendant getting away.
He said: “He went across the car park and was heading for some flower pots in a barrel. At that point the speed was up to about 20mph so that’s when I bailed out.”
Larcombe, who caused £1,100 of damage to the club trying to get in, was arrested following the burglary, which happened at about 11.20pm on January 13 last year after the victims picked up part of the car’s registration number.
Larcombe, of Peterborough, appeared at court for sentence on Tuesday (August 4) having been found guilty of burglary and criminal damage at an earlier magistrates’ court hearing.
Sentencing him to a total of 27 months in prison, Judge Katharine Moore said it was a “planned episode of dishonesty” adding the victim bravely attempted to stop Larcombe “with little regard for his own safety”.
Zoe Chapman, mitigating, said the injuries were suffered in the course of an attempted escape adding that it was an “unsophisticated” attempt in which ultimately nothing was stolen.
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