A CLACKS man leapt from a moving car to escape from an armed thug who kidnapped him and threatened to stab him with a screwdriver.

Garry Kelly, 26, remains in custody this week after pleading guilty to assault, armed robbery and abduction at Stirling Sheriff Court.

He raved that he would plunge the weapon into his victim's eye if he did not drive to cash machine and withdraw money.

But when he began to direct the car up a dark and secluded forest path, the complainer became frightened for his life and took drastic action by rolling from the moving car.

Kelly was later found hiding behind a wall by police and arrested.

When he admitted the charges before a sheriff on Tuesday last week, he was told to expect a length period in custody when he is brought back for sentencing.

On the afternoon of April 13 this year Kelly approached the complainer outside a shop in Larbert and asked him to purchase alcohol and cigarettes as he did not have his ID.

The 24-yea-old man agreed and went into the shop and bought the items. However, when he came out Kelly said he had no money, and offered Mr Horne £20 to drive him back to Alva to get some.

Kelly directed the driver to Alva and told him to drive down a one-way street.

At first he refused, but then "somewhat reluctantly" agreed.

Yet, halfway down the street, Kelly told him to stop, before pulling a screwdriver from the passenger door compartment and saying: "Give me all your money or I'll stab you in the eye."

Sarah Lumsden, prosecuting, said the complainer was "very fearful" that if he left his car he would be seriously assaulted, so he handed over his wallet – which was empty.

Kelly then told him to drive to a cash machine, warning him, "stick with the programme or you'll get hurt," and "if we see the police and you try to stop them you'll get stabbed in the throat".

Ms Lumsden said when they got to the cash machine, his account was overdrawn, and he could not get any money, so Kelly ordered him to hand over his iPhone and drive to Cash Converters in Stirling.

Halfway there he changed his mind and ordered him to drive to shop in Clackmannan where a man was reputed to buy phones, but he wasn't in.

They walked back to the car and Kelly said he had "scalpels" on him, before ordering his victim to drive around while he directed.

Ms Lumsden added: "The drive led to a secluded woodland park, and as [the complainer] turned up the track he was incredibly frightened and thought that Kelly would kill him."

The fiscal depute said he then decided to escape.

She said: "He did a U-turn, took off his seat belt, accelerated to about 40 miles an hour, opened his door, and jumped out of the moving car, rolling as he hit the ground."

The vehicle carried on and ended up in a ditch, while the victim ran back down the track and saw two dog walkers. They directed him to a house where he knocked on the door.

Ms Lumsden said: "The householder found him extremely distressed, took him in, and phoned the police."

A full-scale search with police dogs was launched and Kelly was found hiding behind a wall.

The complainer was said to have suffered "numerous scrapes" to his arms, hands and knees as a result of jumping from the car.

Sheriff William Gilchrist deferred sentence until August 29, remanded Kelly in custody for reports, but told him: "A lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable."