Father badly hurt as car thieves drag him on road

Ian Brayshaw, 41, faces up to 12 weeks in hospital with multiple injuries including a broken vertebra, after the burglary at his home in the early hours of Tuesday.

Last night his partner Lisa Wilton, 40, told how they battled to prevent three men stealing the Mercedes C180 after they broke into their home in Red Hall View and stole the car keys.

She had been woken at 2.40am by the cries of the couple's baby granddaughter Olivia.

After alerting her partner, who only had time to put on trousers, they ran out and surprised the thieves. She tried to open two doors of the car but was forced to let go when they reversed.

"But Ian had managed to get the passenger door open and got his arm inside the car and they sped off down the street with him," she said.

He was unable to let go as his arm was trapped and they ignored his pleas to stop. After several hundred yards, the door was opened at high speed in nearby Whinmoor Crescent and he was flung off and hit the kerb

She said the family had been burgled before and had a car stolen but no one was caught.

"We tried to get one out of the car so someone would get done for it, but because of what happened to Ian I wish we hadn't," she said. "I wish we'd let them drive off, then we could have had Ian here with us."

Her partner is the laboratory manager at a printing firm and has two stepchildren, a son and a daughter.

Detective Inspector Paul Conroy, of North East Leeds CID, described it as an "extremely serious and unusual" incident.

"The callous nature of these individuals, who left a man seriously injured in the side of the road, means they need to be arrested and brought before the courts as a matter of urgency," he said.

The three thieves are believed to be in their mid-teens to early 20s. The driver was said to have light brown hair and the front-seat passenger blond hair.

Police are also anxious to hear from anyone who saw the blue Mercedes – registration KR05 TGY – on Tuesday. Witnesses should call 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A 16-year-old local youth was arrested yesterday on suspicion of burglary and section 18 causing grievous bodily harm and last night remained in police custody.