A 35-year-old man has pleaded guilty to robbery after he attacked a 79-year-old and stole his vintage car from his driveway.

On Tuesday 18 November, Dyfed-Powys Police control room received a 999-call from a man reporting that he’d been attacked by an unknown, masked male outside his home in Rhayader at around 10.30pm that evening.

Officers immediately made their way to the scene. The caller explained to officers how just an hour-and-a-half earlier, he’d been grabbed by his tie which was pulled tightly around his neck before the keys to his Morgan Plus 4 classic sports car were ripped from him.

The offender, now known to be Ben Owen of Oldbury in the West Midlands, demanded the victim’s phone number and said he’d call in about 30 minutes before speeding off in the £35,000 classic car.

A short while later, Owen called the victim and presented him with two choices: either the car be stripped and sold for spares, or the owner could buy it back from him.

Dog handlers and roads policing officers were dispatched, and the vintage car was found abandoned. A search for the suspect continued. When officers located Owen, he was arrested on suspicion of robbery, which he admitted in court yesterday (Friday 19 December).

DS Adam Clark, supervising this case, said: “This was a traumatic incident for both the victim and his family. Our officers take a robust approach to travelling criminals and will not tolerate such thuggish behaviour in our area.

"Due to the proactive response by Dyfed-Powys Police, and the weight of the evidence against him, Ben Owen has pleaded guilty - bringing justice to the victim in this case.”