A man who was about to go on holiday with his wife has been run over and killed by a thief who hijacked his car as he unloaded his suitcases at Liverpool airport.
The thief jumped into the driver's seat of 57-year-old Michael Howard's Volvo car as he took out the cases and his wife went to find a trolley at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.
Police said Howard, a father-of-three from Preston, Lancashire, was believed to have gone to the front of the car to try to stop the thief driving off, but that the vehicle moved forward, trapping him underneath.
The offender then jumped into a waiting car and escaped.
"I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this despicable and cowardly crime to come forward," said Superintendent John Myles. "The victim and his wife were looking forward to going on holiday when tragedy struck - these people need to be caught."
An area at the airport was sealed off and high visibility police patrols stepped up, although flights were not affected.