Man in ‘shocking’ bid to drive into father and son
A DRIVER attempted to run over a father and son outside their home following an altercation on a night out.
CCTV footage showed the father dragging his son out of the car’s path as it hurtled towards them.
Luke O’Brien, 26, lay in wait outside the home of Sam and Clive Kitchen in Cardiff in the early hours of Christmas Eve last year.
When he saw them both leaving their car, he increased his speed and attempted to run them over. However, he only clipped Sam Kitchen’s ankle after the quick thinking actions of his father.
The defendant became enraged after he became involved in a scuffle with one of the victim’s friends outside Peppermint bar in Cardiff city centre. Despite being intoxicated, he made his way home and got in his car with the intent to carry out revenge.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday heard Clive Kitchen picked up his son and his friend before returning to their home in Wellwright Road, Fairwater, at 4.15am.
Footage played to the court showed O’Brien driving at both men, with Clive Kitchen pulling his son out of the car’s path, with the vehicle clipping his ankle.
Prosecutor Nik Strobl said Clive Kitchen fell onto the right side of his body. Sam Kitchen suffered red marks and shooting pains to his ankle while his father suffered a cut to his left elbow and left hand, a cut to a finger and pain to his hips and right ankle.
O’Brien drove into bollards before returning to his home in Heol Trelai, Caerau.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and dangerous driving. The court heard he had previous convictions for battery and drug offences.
In a victim personal statement read out to the court, Clive Kitchen said he believed the incident was “premeditated” by O’Brien and carried out with “clear intent”.
He said: “Without my swift actions Sam would have been killed outright...
“My son is a big strong lad but he was totally exposed and if it were not for me being in the right place at the right time to pull Sam to safety I dread to think what the consequences would have been.
“He was always the life and soul of the party but he shuts me down if I try to talk about it. He was a very talented footballer but since the incident he has been unable to play the game he loves as he suffers from back pain and soft tissue damage. It’s left him feeling depressed.”
Defence barrister Kevin Seal said O’Brien had written a letter of apology to the victims in which he said he was sorry for the “pain he caused, physically and mentally” and said he hoped both men would be able to forgive him and would be able to “put matters to rest”.
The barrister said his client had a two-year-old child with his partner who he supported.
Sentencing, Recorder Simon Hughes said: “When seeing Clive and Sam Kitchen exiting their vehicle and crossing the road you drove at speed... I have watched the CCTV footage and it’s shocking, your intention was to collide with them.
“You and they were very fortunate due to the quick thinking of Clive Kitchen to drag his son out of the way and meant more serious injury was avoided.”
O’Brien was sentenced to a total of 21 months’ imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for 22 months and was made subject to a restraining order for 10 years.