Carjacker jailed for 20 years for carrying out six attacks on women

Mark Stokes struck six times in the space of two days – including once in the Sandwell borough – in February last year and left victims traumatised after threatening them with a handgun.

The 50-year-old's shocking robbery spree started on February 4, 2018, in Northfield Road, in Harborne, when Stokes forced a woman from her VW Scirocco before driving off.

At 5.30pm the following day, he failed in an attempt to steal a woman's Audi as she loaded shopping in the car park of Tesco's in Ridgeacre Road, in Quinton – and less than three hours later tried to take a woman's Mercedes A-class in just over a mile away in Faraday Avenue.

In that attack, he fired the handgun – which is understood to have been a BB gun – at the car's window as he ratcheted up his threats of violence.

At 10pm that night, he ambushed a woman as she pulled her Audi Q5 on the driveway of her home in Hawthorn Croft, in Oldbury. But he fled the scene empty-handed as the victim's screams alerted her husband, who was inside their home at the time, to her distress.

Stokes – who wore a balaclava during the attacks – made two more botched carjacking attempts on February 6, within minutes of each other in War Lane and then Wolverhampton Road South in Harborne.

CCTV enquiries and witness accounts led investigating detectives to identify two cars – a Vauxhall Vectra and Sukuzi Swift – at the scene of the offences that were all linked to Stokes.

The Vectra was seized on February 7 and a handbag – taken during the first robbery ­– a balaclava were found inside and seized for forensic examination.

Stokes was arrested on February 13 and questioned over the robberies – where he remained silent and was released while investigators built a case against him.

Officers found CCTV from a shop showing Stokes buying beer wearing a distinctive blue Adidas top identical to one worn by the offender. The top was found by a West Midlands Police dog handler near the scene of the February 6 offences – and when forensically examined returned a match to Stokes.

His DNA was also found on the recovered balaclava and extensive phone analysis placed him at the scene of the offences.

He was rearrested on June 14 and quizzed over two house rush robberies – in Harborne Park Road and Tennal Road on May 17 and 31 respectively – in which a BMW and VW Golf were stolen by two men who barged inside.

Officers found a discarded cider can outside the Harborne Park Road address – which forensics found Stokes' saliva. A stash of the same high-strength drinks cans were found at his home.

Stokes, of Summerfield Road, Woodgate Valley, denied being involved in the offences but on Friday(18) he was found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.

He has been jailed for 18-and-a-half-years.

Detective Constable Lee Reeday, West Midlands Police's investigating officer, said: "These were shocking offences targeting female drivers, some of which were committed in broad daylight with a firearm.

“The pistol was a ball-bearing gun, not a genuine weapon, but the victims would not have known that when Stokes was pointing it at them.

“We recovered two of the three stolen cars and compiled a strong evidential case against Stokes.

"The jury found him unanimously guilty and I am pleased the sentence handed down reflects the seriousness of Stokes’ offending.

“We know another man was involved in at least one of the carjacking attempts and the home invasions and enquiries are on-going to identify him.”