6:01pm Friday 14th November 2008
By Matt Wilkinson
A church pastor who raced out of his house in the middle of the night in his pyjamas and grappled with a drugged-up teenager who was stealing his car has been praised by police.
David Cooke, 47, received a bravery award from Thames Valley Police for catching the 17-year-old thief attempting to make his getaway.
Mr Cooke, Pastor at Botley Baptist Church, heard the engine of his Volkswagen Caravelle starting up in the early hours of one morning in April.
The father-of-four jumped out of bed and saw a teenage boy in the driver’s seat pulling out of his drive in Seacourt Road, Botley, He then raced outside.
Mr Cooke said: “Instinct took over. I opened the driver’s door and said ‘give me my car back’.
“I grappled with him and he lost control and careered across the road into the wall opposite.
“He tried to escape, but I grabbed hold of him and we tumbled out of the car. I was quite aware he was fully clothed and I was still in my pyjamas and one well placed kick could have finished me off quickly.”
Mr Cooke’s wife Jenny, 45, raised the alarm and a neighbour, Paul Allen, came to help before police arrived.
Mr Cooke suffered a broken toe in the incident and his £4,000 Volkswagen Caravelle was damaged beyond repair. Later the family discovered the car thief had burgled their house with a number of other teenagers who managed to escape. They stole car keys, electrical items and bank and credit cards.
Mr Cooke added: “If I had gone downstairs a little earlier then there could have been more threat of dangerous serious violence.
“I read in the news a few weeks later about a man in Warrington who was beaten to death after apprehending a group of teenagers so it could have been different.
But at the time I didn’t stop and think.”
The teenager from North Oxford, who is too young to be named, received a 12 month referral order at Oxford Youth Court and was ordered to pay £500 compensation.
He had been smoking cannabis with friends before the incident. Mr Cooke met the boy and his parents as part of a restorative justice system.
He added: “He expressed real remorse and we told him we forgave him. Hopefully this will deter him from a life of crime.”
Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton presented Mr Cooke with his commendation at a police awards ceremony at Drayton Park Golf Club, near Abingdon, on Thursday.
A police spokesman said: “Mr Cooke is commended for his selfless, brave act in the prevention of crime. His actions displayed the highest order of good citizenship.”
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