Car thieves drove off with woman stuck to bonnet then tried to mow her down

A Lothians mum was dragged down a country road then thrown from the bonnet of her own car after she tried to stop thieves who made their getaway in her vehicle.
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Josie Mackay, 30, was left with severe bruising and whiplash after the robbery near Dalkeith, as well as a broken thumb.

After being thrown to the ground by her own Nissan Qashqai, she then had to dive clear of another getaway car as it sped straight at her.

Josie Mackay and her son Leo.Josie Mackay and her son Leo.
Josie Mackay and her son Leo.
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Josie had just been visiting her parents who live nearby, when she realised she’d caught the thieves in the act, just after 7.25pm on Sunday night.

She said:” I was just leaving when when I noticed my car which was about 20 metres from where I’d parked, at first I thought I’d left the handbrake off started to panic.“Then I saw two random guys sitting in my car. My first reaction was to scream. I went up to it and started bashing on the car and making as much noise as I could to scare them.”

One of the men got out and ran into a white BMW nearby, while the other thief took off in Josie’s car.

"The guy started the car and put his foot fully down. He had me on the front grill, I was holding onto the bonnet. He was driving full pelt.

CCTV caught the two suspects.CCTV caught the two suspects.
CCTV caught the two suspects.
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"Every instinct was telling me not to let go because I’d have gone under the car.

"He did a sudden brake, which threw me off the bonnet and down the hill.

“With sheer adrenaline I stood right back up. I was just in disbelief, staring right at the guy who was sitting in the driving seat of my car."

However, the thieves then drove both cars straight at Josie, forcing her to dive off the single-track road.

Josie's injuries are extensive.Josie's injuries are extensive.
Josie's injuries are extensive.
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She added: “He just came right at me and just floored it. The only thing I could do is jump to the side into the bushes.

“The BMW was tailgating my car. If I hadn’t moved he’d have hit me.

“I was in so much fear. All I could think about was my son who was stood at the side, just a few feet away. He was just stood there in shock.

"When I went to the hospital, that was when everything started to seize up. I had whiplash, I still can’t turn my head. My legs are black and blue, and there were blood blisters all over my chest, my ribs are in agony.”

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Josie says that she had spotted the white BMW nearby earlier in the day.She said: “About 5pm the same day I’d been putting my recycling out and I saw this white BMW driving by very suspiciously. It was the same car that then came later. They’ve obviously scanned my keys. I didn’t think about it till later.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a stolen car from Shawfair Cottages, Dalkeith, around 7.25pm on Sunday, 10 October.

"A white Nissan Qashqai was stolen. A white BMW car is believed to have been involved in the incident.

"A 30-year-old woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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"Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3048 of 10 October."

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