A man has admitted to taking the keys out of a pensioner’s car and throwing them in a bush at Sicklinghall.

Jack Pybus, of Stockeld Lane in Sicklinghall, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday (August 8).

Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court the named victim is an 83-year-old man who, at the time of the offence, was driving towards Sicklinghall with his elderly wife, who has dementia.

On April 24, the pensioner was driving along Wetherby Road at around 6pm.

The visibility was good, but the road is narrow and full of bends, the court heard.

Ms Whiteley said Pybus was travelling in the opposite direction on the same road and, as he passed the victim’s car, the two vehicles clipped each other’s wing mirrors.

In a statement read by the prosecution, the victim said he continued driving but acknowledged he “should’ve made more of an effort to pull over” after the cars made contact.

The court heard that as the victim drove into Sicklinghall, Pybus raced up behind him, overtook him and blocked the road.

Pybus, 28, then got out of his car and opened the victim’s car door.

'It was intimidating'

The victim expected to exchange details with Pybus, but the defendant instead asked him: “Why didn’t you stop?”.

Pybus shouted at the victim to answer his question and told him to “f*** ***”, but the elderly victim – who is partially deaf – struggled to hear some of what the defendant was saying to him.

“I told myself not to speak back and remain quiet. It was intimidating and my wife was scared”, the victim said in a statement

Ms Whiteley told the court:

Footage of the incident, which was played to the court, showed Pybus throwing the keys into the bushes and walking away, before getting back in his car and driving off. 

The victim could be seen waiting to cross the road to retrieve his car keys.

As he waited, Pybus drove back towards him.

“I don’t think he was driving at me”, the victim said, but added he believes Pybus was “trying to intimidate me as he was revving his engine”.

People came over to help the victim look for his keys in the bushes, but he scraped his leg on the shrubs. 

The victim’s statement added:

The case had to come to court, however, as Pybus denied making any threats towards the victim during a police interview.

‘I would be deeply shocked if this was my grandparents’

Pybus was not legally represented, but he had prepared a statement ahead of the hearing, which he read to the court.

In it, Pybus said he wanted to express his remorse for his actions and that he did “not stand here lightly today”.

He told the magistrates he is deeply ashamed of what he did and he is “deeply sorry for the stress I have caused” the victim and his wife.

The statement said: 

Pybus added he believes the victim was driving on the wrong side of the road, which led to the minor collision, but said his own behaviour was “unjustified and out of character”.

He added: 

The chair of the magistrates told Pybus the bench was “disturbed” by the offence.

“My father clipped a wingmirror before we took his keys away from him but we did not take his keys away from him like you did”, he said.

However, he believed Pybus was “very remorseful” for his actions.

The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Pybus will return to Harrogate Magistrates Court on September 12 for sentence.