Dad arrested after tackling masked burglar who was trying to steal his car
Heroic father Lee Fellowes, 45, faced spending more than 10 years behind bars for defending his family
A brave dad went through 18 months of hell after he was arrested for tackling a masked robber who tried to steal his car.
Family man Lee Fellowes, 45, faced ten years behind bars after he knifed career criminal Craig Norman in his driveway after he caught the thief trying to steal his motor.
The father of two ‘instinctively grabbed a knife’ and stabbed the crook in the stomach to protect his wife Kelly, who was already grappling with Norman outside their home in Swinton, Salford.
Car-thief Norman, who has a ‘dreadful’ criminal record with 135 previous offences, reportedly ‘died’ twice while in hospital following the incident on January 3, 2015, but was discharged after six months of treatment.
However, the professional pincher continued to brazenly break the law after his release and while he was still recovering.
Norman was eventually locked up in December for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to burglary.
While in prison, the criminal wrote a formal complaint against heroic father Lee sparking an investigation by Greater Manchester Police.
Lee’s life was turned upside down when he was arrested in March this year and interviewed under caution.
After a harrowing 18 month wait, which included crown lawyers assessing a police file which was then returned to investigators who made further checks, authorities decided not to prosecute Lee.
Wife Kelly, 34, told the Manchester Evening News about the family’s ordeal.
She said: “We are really over the moon. It is a massive weight off our shoulders.
“When it had gone on for so long we had begun to fear the worst. It has been 18 months of our lives being on hold – and yet we are the victims of a burglary.
“It has been awful. People don’t realise what affect it has on your life.
“Lee is not as confident as he used to be. He has gone a bit withdrawn.
“Every time we heard a loud noise in the street we would get panicky.
“The situation has put pressure on Lee and myself, and our relationship.
“But we have remained strong and got through it.
“For the last 18 months it’s as if we have not been free. We haven’t planned any holidays as we haven’t known what was going to happen.
“It has been scary. Lee was interviewed on suspicion of either section 20 or section 18 wounding.
“You do your research and then discover that potentially your husband could be jailed for longer than the person who burgled your home.
“Lee was looking at potentially 10 years or longer. He was facing the prospect of not watching his children grow up.”
The couple’s solicitor Claire Parrott, of Tuckers Solicitors, said: “Not only were they the victims of a burglary whilst at home enjoying a quiet evening in, with their two-year-old son in bed, they have then had to endure months of uncertainty as to whether Lee would face charges.
“To put it into context and in their words, they ‘went from being the victims to the criminals’ when Lee was questioned by the police in March.
“They have both described this time as harrowing and it is something that will stay with them forever.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “Following receipt of a file of evidence from Greater Manchester Police, we carefully considered that evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
“We concluded that the householder should not be charged with any offence.
“We are satisfied that the householder acted instinctively and proportionately.
"We are also satisfied that he used such force as was necessary to protect himself and his family from a masked burglar who not only had gone equipped to burgle the property, but who also posed a real threat to their personal safety.”
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