Driver who mowed down teenager on pavement after coming under attack by armed gang is spared jail

A driver who mowed down a teenager on a pavement after his car was attacked by a gang with weapons was spared jail today.

The incident involving Lee O’Connor’s Vauxhall Corsa in Eston was captured on CCTV cameras and the footage shown at his trial.

O’Connor, 23, said that he had driven a pal to the area for an arranged one-to-one fight when his car became a target.

He told Teesside Crown Court that the windscreen was shattered before he veered across the road and struck Liam Hannon, 18, on the pavement in The Avenue, Eston, on February 24 last year.

Kieron Rainey said that O’Connor later received threats which continued until his trial last month when a jury found him guilty of dangerous driving and actual bodily harm assault.

Mr Rainey said: “He may have driven at him but it was an attempt to escape.

“It was only after the damage to his car that he did anything that put anyone in jeopardy.

“There was quite an extensive spidery crack to the windscreen causing him to drive in the way that he did.”

He said that threats were issued to O’Connor a week before the trial and there was concern about getting him to court safely.

He said that O’Connor had no problem with others but he made a foolish decision to take someone to a fight where differences were to be settled.

He was not expecting people to turn up with weapons and to cause dents to his car and to shatter the windscreen.

Prosecutor Peter Sabiston said that the car was used as a weapon and O’Connor was fortunate that Liam Hannon received a glancing blow.

The judge said that it was not entirely clear how the damage was caused to the car.

Recorder Eric Elliott QC told O’Connor: “Against a background you agreed to take a man to have a one-to-one fight, and you attempted to escape from the scene by driving in such a way that you caused injury to Liam Hannon.

“Your car mounted the pavement and collided with him, and very fortunately he suffered various minor injuries.

“You escaped from the scene and your vehicle was damaged. How the damage was done to your car is not entirely clear.”

O’Connor, an asbestos remover, of Wilton Way, Eston, was given a nine month jail sentence suspended for two years with 18 months supervision, 150 hours unpaid work,disqualified for 12 months and until he passes an extended driving test, and ordered to pay £100 Victim Surcharge.