Footage has captured the moment a young woman was forced to fight off a balaclava-clad stranger, who tried to snatch her off the street.
The harrowing clip shows Cameron Boxall, 22, attempting to drag his victim off the street in the seaside suburb of Hove, near Brighton in the UK, and into a stolen car before driving off.
The 20-year-old Brit screamed out “No, no, no” repeatedly before kicking her attacker as he pulled her into the back seat of a Mini Cooper, which sped off while her legs were still hanging out of the door.
She continued to try to fight off Boxall, punching him until he eventually kicked her out of the car. She was then helped by a passer-by who found her in a state of shock.
‘Did not deserve what happened’
Boxall has now been jailed for five years following a hearing at Hove Crown Court on Friday after he admitted to kidnapping the woman, stealing a car, and possessing marijuana, according to the BBC.
He was also issued an indefinite restraining order against his victim.
In a statement, Boxall’s victim expressed that she felt she had “lost her freedom,” adding: “I struggle to understand the level of violence he used against me and I feel lucky to be alive”.
“I had bruises and scratches on my back, arms, and legs from where he threw me out of the car, and a massive lump on my head,” she added.
“What happened has changed the way I view the world. I’ve not done anything wrong and did not deserve what happened to me.”
The attempted kidnapping
The court heard that Boxall, then 21, was driving a stolen car in Hove during the early hours of August 5, 2024, and switched his number plates with those of a nearby car.
He then got out of the car after selecting his victim and asked the woman, who was a local, for directions.
“He had already identified her as his intended victim. The Mini was positioned to block her route. He called out to her,” prosecutor Gareth Burrows said.
“He said: ‘Excuse me, I’m a bit lost, I’m looking for Brunswick Place, can you help me?’
“His intention was to draw her close. He got out of the car, saying ‘Get in the f***ing car’.”
After a struggle, she was pulled into the back seat, and he drove off while repeatedly trying to close the door, striking her legs several times.
“He pushed her out of the moving vehicle and she was found on the ground in a state of shock,” the prosecutor explained.
Boxall claimed in court that he intended to rob the young woman to settle a drug debt.
Her handbag was discovered untouched on the footpath where the incident occurred.
‘Dangerous predator’
Detective Jack Sagar, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, called Boxall a “dangerous, violent offender”.
“(He is a) dangerous predator who preyed on a young woman innocently walking home, putting her through a horrific, distressing ordeal where she feared for her life,” he said.
“We commend her for the immense strength and bravery she has shown throughout the incident and during our subsequent investigation.”
In 2023-24, police in England recorded 7,277 kidnapping offenses.
For comparison, Australia saw 501 recorded kidnapping victims in 2023.
