A CONMAN sped off in a £23,000 car after deliberately driving at the owner during a test drive.

Lesley Boon says she was forced to leap out of the way as the thief drove at her, getting so close the bonnet touched her leg.

The 41-year-old says she has been left “shocked and numb” by the ordeal which happened as she pulled the Audi Q7 over to let the passenger test drive the car himself.

Police were alerted to the theft within minutes but despite an urgent call across the force radio, the silver vehicle has not been found.

The drama unfolded at about 4.30pm on Wednesday outside Trant Construction Ltd, in Rushington, Totton.

Businessman Mrs Boon had been driving the car, up for sale for £22,750, with the Asian man in the passenger seat.

He had responded to an advert and said he was a businessman who would be free to see the vehicle once he had finished with his client.

During the afternoon he turned up, professing he was a father of two young children, his family was in need of a bigger car and he joined Mrs Boon for a test drive.

When they stopped, the thief got out and locked the passenger door behind him before jumping into the driver’s seat and locking the whole vehicle.

Mrs Boon told the Daily Echo: “I thought he had accidentally pressed the button to lock all the doors so I was tapping on the window but he started reversing.

“I looked through the window and he just stared me in the face. I was then stood in front of the car and he just deliberately drove it at me. It seemed to me like it was fairly fast. I was standing my ground to start with, it was just a natural reaction of “no, you are not stealing my car”.

“But then you realise that someone is serious and you don’t know what they are capable of. He drove right towards me, the bonnet virtually touched me before I leapt out of the way. There wasn’t anything I could do.”

Police are appealing for anyone with information about where the car might be – registration plate HG56 MWV – to call 101 or Crimestoppers anony-|mously on 0800 555 111.

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