Carjacking of elderly woman near Doncaster part of Crimewatch attempted murder appeal

The BBC One show will ask for witnesses to the drama on April 2, when the woman was driving through the countryside near Doncaster.

Men driving a van on the road ahead of her rammed a car off the road and into a ditch.

The car’s passengers then jumped out and hijacked the woman’s car.

With her still in the vehicle, a high-speed pursuit ensued.

When the car stopped briefly at a crossroads the driver of the van fired a pistol.

They later abandoned the car – with the woman still inside – at a shopping centre.

Humberside Police is treating the offence as attempted murder and will show CCTV of one of the suspects on the programme, which starts at 9.15am, in a bid to catch those responsible.

The show will also feature a North Yorkshire Police appeal after a hospice in York was targeted twice by thieves who stole two of the charity’s vans.

Culprits initially targeted Sunflower Centre hospice on Monday June 10 at around 11.45pm, drilling the lock of a Ford Transit van used by the charity to pick up donated goods and deliver them to its fundraising shop. They were caught on security cameras as they hotwired the van and drove it away.

Just over three weeks later, staff at the hospice realised they had been targeted a second time. On this occasion thieves had stolen a larger box van.