Beverley woman dragged along floor by car in bid to stop Scunthorpe robbers stealing her Apple Watch

A "terrified" woman was dragged along the ground for around 150 yards as she tried to stop two robbers from driving off with her watch.

The woman, from near Beverley in East Yorkshire, grabbed onto the thief's arm after he stole her watch and was dragged along the floor as he fled in a car.

When he finally let go of her hand, she fell and banged her head on the pavement.

James Sturman, 20, and Jack Porter, 21, who are both from near Scunthorpe, admitted to robbery after stealing the woman's Apple Watch on 2 February, 2021. Porter also admitted careless driving.

The woman had advertised the Apple Watch for sale on Facebook on 30 January and was contacted by several people, including Porter - who offered her £200.

She said this was too little, but that she would accept £225, Hull Crown Court heard.

Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said: "Porter asked if he could come round and collect the watch the following day."

The next day at midday, Porter asked her if the watch was still available and the woman said that it was.

Sturman also sent her a message asking if the watch was still available and she told him that it was. She told him that £225 was the best price that she could offer and Sturman said that this was fine but it would take a while for him to travel to her.

She was already suspicious because of receiving messages from both of them so close together and because they were written in a very similar way. She felt uneasy and kept the watch out of the box.

Porter and Sturman arrived outside her home in a Ford car. Sturman was in the passenger seat and she recognised him from his Facebook picture. She thought the driver might be Porter.

The woman handed the box to Sturman and the car immediately lurched off. It reversed and Sturman apologised, saying: "He's not long passed his test."

Sturman reached out of the window for the watch but the woman asked for the money first.

She confirmed that the price was £225 and Sturman began counting out money from a wallet and put £20 notes under his leg. He handed the money to her but she told him: "There's only £120 there." Two of the notes were fake.

Mr Welch told the court: "Sturman lunged out of the passenger window and grabbed her left hand and wrenched the watch from her grasp."

Porter began to drive off with Sturman still holding on to the woman. "She was terrified that she was going to get seriously hurt or killed," said Mr Welch.

The woman was dragged down the road for what she thought was about 150 yards before Sturman let go of her hand.

"As she fell, she banged her head on the ground and she rolled away down the pavement," said Mr Welch.

Sturman was later identified from Facebook. He made no comment during police interview. Porter admitted going with Sturman to the woman's home and claimed that he drove off after being told to do so by Sturman when she grabbed his arm.

The woman later said that she had previously been a confident person and did not really suffer anxiety in her day-to-day life, but she had now improved her house security and had changed the locks. She had bought dogs to provide extra reassurance and had given up her job in order to work from home.

"The victim still seems to be suffering substantial psychological harm three years later," added Mr Welch.

Sturman and Porter both had no previous convictions. Nigel Clive, mitigating, said that Sturman used minimal force during the incident and wanted to apologise to the woman.

"This defendant can't turn the clock back," said Mr Clive. "He would wish to do so.

"This has all the hallmarks of being a fraud. He accepts that what he did was unacceptable. It was a fraud gone wrong."

He said there was a "cheat level of money" handed over before Sturman and Porter drove off, but it seemed unlikely that the woman was actually dragged 150 yards. She suffered a scrape and a cut to her knuckles and a scrape to her scalp.

Sturman had gained qualifications and his dumper truck licence. His girlfriend was due to give birth.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, representing Porter, said that he had written a letter of apology and had shown true remorse and exceptional victim awareness. She said his actions were truly out of character.

"It was unsophisticated offending undertaken by two immature men at the time," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. Porter had previously done a sports course and was now an apprentice at British Steel, Scunthorpe.

Judge Tahir Khan KC said: "This wasn't a plan to go and rob somebody. Whatever happened, happened on the spur of the moment. If there was any criminal intent, it was most likely to be an offence of dishonesty, possibly a fraud rather than a violent offence. This wasn't a premeditated robbery."

While trying to stop Sturman and Porter trying to escape with her watch, the woman fell and banged her head as the car driven by Porter drove off.

"I have absolutely no doubt that neither of you intended that anybody should be hurt but she was hurt, albeit the injuries were not of a gravely serious nature," said Judge Khan.

"Both of you bitterly regret what happened. This is a serious offence."

They were "very young, naive, immature boys" at the time.

Sturman and Porter were each given an 18-month suspended custodial sentence and 150 hours' unpaid work. Sturman was also given 15 days' rehabilitation. Porter was given six penalty points on his driving licence.

"This isn't just a let-off," said Judge Khan. "There is logic in the decision-making of the judge. Losing your good character is a big thing."

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