Thug dubbed ‘Rodger the Dodger’ left OAP wheelchair-bound after running her over with her own vehicle during theft

A THUG has been jailed for 11 years for carjacking a 78-year-old great-grandmother then running her down with her own vehicle.

Pensioner Dorothy Cooper was left in a wheelchair and suffering from "life changing injuries" after being attacked by career criminal Paul Anthony Moore - known locally as "Roger the Dodger".

The 45-year-old followed her to her car and told her that smoke and fire was coming from the rear of her Hyundai.

But Dorothy - who up until the incident had led a "thoroughly independent life" - went to inspect the vehicle, Moore jumped into the driver's seat and reversed over her.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard she was first knocked down before being driven over in the Royton car park in Oldham, Greater Manchester on April 20.

Drug user Moore pleaded guilty to robbery, grievous body harm with intent, dangerous driving and motoring offences including failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving without insurance.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Lowcock said it was "a horrible, cruel piece of offending as a result of your selfish desire to get money for drugs".

Dorothy described feeling as though she was going to die as she likened being rolled over like a "ragged doll" as the car drove over her legs.

Following the incident, she was left with a fractured pelvis and vertebra and had needed surgical intervention during her three-month hospital stay.

She had even disclosed to her family that she had wanted "to be put out of her misery" and poignantly said that had she been asked for the car she would have given it to him, "rather than suffer injuries that she now has to deal with".

In opening the case, prosecutor Mr Justin Hayhoe said that the pensioner had seen the defendant walking towards her car and had decided to wait safely until he had passed before she set off.

Mr Hayhoe said that Moore - who has a long criminal record including dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and assaulting police officers - had approached the driver's side before "suggesting that for and smoke was coming out of the rear of the car".

Mr Hayhoe said: "At this stage she was sceptical. He was keen and insistent. She began to panic such as how the defendant was acting. She thought better than getting out of the car but because of his insistence she leaned out of the car but couldn't see anything."

Moore, who had been stood at the rear of the car, then invited her to come and look for herself before telling her he would illustrate it to her by getting into the car.

"She told him she didn't want his help and told him to get out. She noticed the car was being put into reverse. She said again 'you are going to run me over'. He reversed the car out before she could do anything about it, the car hit her. She was now trapped," Mr Hayhoe continued.

Her grandson, Matthew Cooper, paid tribute to members of the public who had stopped to help his grandmother at the scene.

Mr Cooper described her as "a very strong lady" who had just got back on her feet after suffering a difficult few years having lost her son and her husband.

He said: "Just when she was back on her feet, someone has quite literally knocked her down."

Defending, Mr Paul Bryning said that Moore had entered guilty pleas so not to "prolong Mrs Cooper's anxiety" and had carried out the crimes due to his drug addiction.

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