A man caught trying to steal from a car has been jailed - after attacking people who tried to stop him.

Royston Anthony Thomas has been jailed for nine months after he assaulted a pedestrian who caught him trying to steal from a car and then hit a police constable.

Leeds Crown Court heard taxi driver Ansar Mahmood had left his Skoda Octavia parked in Springdale Avenue, Thornton Lodge, on the night of December 8 last year.

He was disturbed around 4.20am by the car alarm going off and when he went to investigate discovered it had been broken into and two men were trying to detain a would be thief.

Heather Gilmore, prosecuting, said Ibrar Hussain had been walking with his nephew when he spotted Thomas leaning through the broken front window of the Skoda and grabbed hold of him. As they struggled Thomas’s shirt came off and Mr Hussain received a cut to his eyebrow. Although his nephew and Mr Mahmood joined trying to hold Thomas he managed to run off.

Police had been called and PC Khalid Sadiq spoke to the three men after seeing them chasing another man. He got a description and took over the search finding Thomas lying on the ground in a garden.

Miss Gilmore said Thomas then stood up and hit the officer on the left side of his face with the open palm of his hand. Thomas struggled when the officer tried to detain him causing scratches to his forearm and other bruises to the officer.

He claimed he had been at a friend’s home and decided to walk to a petrol station and had come across the Skoda already broken into. Nothing was taken but £100 damage had been caused to the vehicle.

Adam Birkby representing Thomas said drugs were behind his offending but he had now stopped regularly using heroin and crack cocaine and was on a methadone programme and receiving medication in prison for his psychosis and depression.

Thomas, 30 of Gilbert Grove, Crosland Moor admitted attempted theft and was found guilty by magistrates of assaulting Mr Hussain causing him actual bodily harm and assaulting PC Sadiq with intent to resist arrest and committed for sentence.