A CAR-JACKER who left a Mormon bishop in a coma has been jailed for almost seven years.
Harley Davidson Heyes stole Bishop David Charmbury’s Mazda CX5 sports car as he opened the church gates in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull, at around 9am on August 16 this year.
Mr Charmbury was knocked to the ground and dragged underneath the car leaving him with a head injury, fractured pelvis which required surgery, a fractured knee cap, punctured lung and several broken ribs.
The Bishop was found lying in the road by a passer-by.
Doctors placed the bishop into an induced coma, followed by four weeks of hospital treatment and he continues to recover at home.
The Mazda was taken from outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Clopton Crescent and dumped more than a mile away.
Heyes rifled through the vehicle and took an iPad, iPhone and iPod before ordering a taxi to pick him up in Eagle Grove and take him to his home in Bluebell Drive, Chelmsley Wood, where he was arrested by police.
Property stolen from the vehicle was found in communal bins.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to a jail term of six years and 10 months.
In a statement after the hearing Bishop Charmbury said: “As you will appreciate, this has been a difficult and painful time for my family and myself and we are relieved that the judicial process has reached a conclusion.
“This will allow me to focus on completing my physical recovery such that we can all move on with our normal lives.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank West Midlands Police and all medical staff that have helped us through this difficult time plus all of those that have forwarded their messages of support both publicly and privately.”
PC Stephen Tomlinson, from Force CID, described the attack on the Bishop as ‘brutally reckless’.
He added: “With no thought for his actions or the injuries, Heyes parked up the vehicle in a secluded area where he rifled through it and stole items.
“He continued to give no comment and showed no remorse when interviewed and refused to answer questions, despite claiming he was remorseful today.”
