Man ‘taking action’ after being knocked off stolen bike and bitten by …
A speeding motorcyclist who suffered serious injuries after he was deliberately knocked off the bike by police and then bitten repeatedly by a force dog is ‘taking action’ against Humberside Police.
Prolific young criminal Sonnie Stow suffered a broken leg, an open wound, needed muscle reconstruction and a skin graft and he was under the care of a plastic surgeon after the incident, in which police took action in a desperate bid to stop his dangerous antics.
He and his accomplice, Dawid Kajzer, were riding around on a stolen motorcycle after they had earlier been involved in a serious attempted robbery that left a bike owner with a “nasty” leg fracture, Hull Crown Court[1] heard.
Stow, 24, of Sharp Street, Hull, and Kajzer, 18, of Lingcourt, Orchard Park estate, Hull, admitted attempted robbery and aggravated vehicle taking on June 5. Stow also admitted driving while disqualified. Kajzer admitted a separate offence of burglary on April 14 at Bargain Booze in Cottingham.
Rachel Scott, prosecuting, said that Stow and Kajzer stole a Benelli 125cc motorcycle from a multi-storey car park near the Bonus Arena in Hull. Stow was later seen riding it near Burger King at Willerby Hill business park, with Kajzer as the pillion passenger.
Three other youths on bikes were also there. Kajzer sat on the bike of a man who was in Burger King. The owner saw what was happening and went outside to tell Kajzer to get off it.
The steering lock had been broken.
Sonnie Stow has been jailed for four-and-a-half years (Image: Humberside Police)
Stow, on the other bike, blocked the man’s path, shouted at him, raised his fists and shouted threats. Kajzer jumped off the man’s bike, which fell on his leg and ended up on top of him, causing pain and a “nasty” fracture of his leg, which would need surgery.
The man later said that the incident had left him anxious and scared to take his bike out. It was his only means of transport to get to and from work and the injury that he received meant that he could not work.
Police spotted the other motorcycle in Clough Road, with Stow riding it and Kajzer the passenger. It sped along a footpath in Sutton Road and went onto Beverley Road on the wrong side of the road at excess speed.
It headed onto Orchard Park estate where Stow continued to evade the police by riding on a footpath and over a grassed area. He rode the wrong way on main roads but was confronted in Hall Road, where he tried to get past the police blocking his path.
Dawid Kajzer was sent to a young offenders’ institution for six years (Image: Humberside Police)
The police tactically knocked into the motorcycle, bringing it to a stop. Stow was brought to the ground by a police dog and Kajzer was arrested at the scene after trying to resist but being unable to slip away.
Stow had convictions for 51 previous offences, including robbery in June 2016 and burglaries in 2017. He had been jailed in July 2019 for three years and nine months for two offences each of dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
He had been jailed for one year in September last year for affray and possessing a blade.
Kajzer had convictions for 15 previous offences, including five domestic burglary offences in 2020 as well as taking a vehicle without consent and going equipped for theft. He had been locked up in April last year for two-and-a-half years for burglary and taking a vehicle without consent.
Julia Baggs, mitigating, said that it was a deeply unpleasant attempted robbery and Stow accepted his part in it. “He is very sorry for the injury that was caused,” said Miss Baggs. “It was not a planned incident.”
During the police chase, the motorcycle that Stow was riding was knocked over by a police car. His left leg was broken and he needed a six-hour operation to reset his ankle. He understood that it was his behaviour that led to the police action.
“He accepts that it was an appalling piece of driving,” said Miss Baggs. “He could have seriously hurt someone.”
Two police dogs were used and Stow suffered injuries, including a significant bite to his abdomen and others to his upper arms and legs. He needed stitches and suffered an open wound that needed regular dressing. He would need muscle reconstruction and a skin graft. “He is under the care of a plastic surgeon,” said Miss Baggs. Solicitors were involved in taking action against the police.
“He recognises that he has a terrible record for a young man of his tender years,” said Miss Baggs.
The police presence on Hall Road (Image: Declan Whittaker)
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, representing Kajzer, said that he had been on a curfew as part of his licence conditions after being released from his earlier custodial sentence but, because police turned up “at all times of the day and night”, this had a series effect on his family and his mother asked him to leave. He became homeless.
“He turned back to his old ways,” said Miss Kioko-Gilligan. “He had no money, no accommodation and no support. That’s no excuse for his behaviour. He thinks he has seen the light.
“He wants to turn a corner. He is no stranger to the courts. He now acknowledges that his behaviour will just see him in that revolving door of being released and returning to the courts and serving ever longer sentences, something he wants to avoid.
“He is a bright lad and wants to return to education. He wants to make a good life for himself and put all this offending behind him.”
Recorder Jason Pitter KC said of the attempted robbery: “There was serious physical harm caused in this case.” He said of the shop burglary involving Kajzer that it was an “orchestrated and frenzied” raid.
Stow was jailed for four-and-a-half years and was banned from driving for three years and three months.
Kajzer was sent to a young offenders’ institution for six years and was banned from driving for four years.
References
- ^ Hull Crown Court (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Man hit 115mph on A180 and another breached domestic violence order on the day he got it (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)