Nursery-run carjacker back in jail after early morning arrest

A violent offender who once stole a vehicle with two toddlers still strapped in their child seats is back behind bars after he was caught trying to break into cars.

Cedric Brown - jailed by judge who called him a 'dangerous offender'

Officers were called to Elmhurst Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, in the early hours of July 18, 2019, following reports of a man tampering with parked vehicles.

Cedric Brown ran from the traffic cops and tried driving off in a BMW that was later found to be on cloned plates.

At one point Brown slammed the car into reverse and knocked officers backwards with the open driver’s door.

He was pulled from behind the wheel and arrested on suspicion of theft after a stolen toolbox and drill were found in the road.

A machete and lock knife were also recovered from the BMW.

The machete seized from Brown and (top) where police found it in his car

Brown – jailed in 2013 for car-jacking a young mum on her nursery run – was later linked to three burglaries, including one the day before his arrest, in which he slashed a victim across the arm with a knife.

That was in Wellesbourne Road where the brave victims fended Brown off from behind their bedroom door and, during the struggle, knocked a Breitling watch off the intruder’s wrist.

Detectives later found photos on Brown’s phone of a Breitling watch with exactly the same serial number as the one recovered from the bedroom floor.

Police also linked Brown, of no fixed address, to a failed burglary in Grosvenor Road overnight between 18-19 June after his blood was found on a window.

And he was caught on CCTV breaking into a house in Brecon Road, Handsworth, on July 7 2019, where he stole a Mercedes.

Security cameras showed the offender had a distinctive blemish below his right eye, identical to Brown, and was wearing trainers with an over-sized heel like a pair later seized from the 53-year-old.

Brown of Gillott Road, Edgbaston, admitted robbery, burglary and dangerous driving and at Birmingham Crown Court on June 18 was jailed for seven years and six months, plus an extended two-year licence period, after the judge deemed him a dangerous offender.

Investigating officer, PC Mark Nash, said: “Brown has shown himself to be a very dangerous man and one who is willing to use weapons against innocent members of the public.

“He resisted arrest and came close to running over some of the officers who responded to the 999 call as he slammed the BMW into reverse.

“Thankfully none were injured and they managed to detain him; I have no doubt he would have gone on to commit further offences had he got away.”