A CHARD motor dealer has told of the moment he helped catch a serial car thief.

Don Ricciardi, who is the managing director of Central Motors, was suspicious of 32-year-old Colin Parsons, when he visited the outlet last year.

Parsons wanted to test drive a £4,000 Ford Mondeo, but Mr Ricciardi smelt a rat and didn't hand over the keys.

Mr Ricciardi agreed to drive the car on the firm's regular test drive route up to Windwhistle Ridge, and let Parsons drive it back.

Mr Ricciardi kept the keys with him when he pulled over to swap seats but as they both sat back in the car, Parsons rummaged for something in his pocket and Ricciardi said he felt something strike him on the neck.

In the scuffle that followed, Mr Ricciardi managed to trap Parsons using the seatbelt of the car and the alarm was raised by a colleague who spotted the incident as he happened to drive past.

After the hearing, Mr Ricciardi said: "I was not scared exactly.

"I'm not a violent person - I think the problem was that I was incensed.

"It was a self-defence mechanism."

At Taunton Crown Court on Monday Parsons, of no fixed address, was sentenced to at least two years and 251 days in prison after pleading guilty to attempted robbery of a vehicle.

He also asked for 20 additional offences to be taken into consideration.