Teen thrown from car after driver lost temper
AMAN deliberately drove into teenagers outside a youth club after losing his temper, a court has heard.
One youngster grabbed hold of the car’s windscreen wipers as he was carried along on the bonnet before being thrown to the ground.
Sending Roger Hilmer-Hills to prison, a judge told the 51-year-old he had used his car as a “weapon” after “the red mist descended”.
Swansea Crown Court the attack happened on the night of July 13 in Pembroke Dock.
Ian Wright, prosecuting, said around 8.50pm that evening HilmerHills’ wife phoned police from their home address to report someone had just smashed two windows on the family car.
The court heard that in the background the 999 call-handler could hear the defendant shouting comments including, “I am sick and tired of those f ***** g kids”, “I am going to f ***** g kill someone”, and “f ***** g useless police”.
Mr Wright said the operator told the defendant’s wife to tell her husband to calm down, or he could end up being arrested.
The warning was duly passed on, but Hilmer-Hills continued his shouting, saying there would be “blood everywhere”.
With that the defendant left the house.
The court heard that minutes later the defendant was seen in his Renault Scenic outside the youth centre on nearby Bush Road.
Mr Wright said witnesses reported seeing Hilmer-Hills revving the car’s engine before deliberately mounting the pavement and driving at two youngsters on a grass verge.
The prosecutor said one of the teens managed to jump out of the way but the other was hit, and ended up on the bonnet of the Renault.
The youngster held on to the car’s windscreen wipers and was carried for a short distance before the wiper snapped off and he was thrown to the ground. The defendant then drove off.
The court heard one witness said of the incident: “I heard an almighty thud, and saw a person flying through the air with his arms and legs stretched out.”
Police and paramedics were called, and were soon on the scene.
The youngster suffered cuts and bruises and reported a pain in the shoulder, but after being examined it was decided he did not need to go to hospital.
Hilmer-Hills was arrested, and gave a series of “no comment” interviews.
In his victim impact statement the teenager said he felt lucky that he had not been badly injured, adding: “I understand that he got his windows smashed but he didn’t have to try to kill somebody over it.”
The court heard the youngster had been in the area of the defendant’s house earlier in the evening and had seen the windows of his car being put in with a hammer, but had played no part in the incident.
Hilmer-Hills, of Amphion Court, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, and to dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
The court heard the defendant, who is originally from KingstonUpon-Thames, is a provisional licence holder, and has numerous previous convictions for driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Jon Tarrant, for Hilmer-Hills said the background to the incident was the targeting of the family by a group of young men in the three or four months since they had moved to the street.
He said the defendant’s son had been assaulted and his daughter verbally abused in the street in that time, and stones had been thrown at their house.
The advocate said the previous incidents had all been reported to the police but “their response was some form of mediation”.
Judge Geraint Walters said it was clear the defendant’s family had experienced trouble at the hands of local youngsters, but he said on the evening in question he had used his car as a “weapon”, and it was a miracle his victim had received only slight injuries.
He told the man in the dock: “It is obvious you had completely lost control of your senses. A red mist had descended, and you could not see your way through it.”
Giving the defendant a 25% discount for his guilty pleas he sentenced him to four years in prison, and banned him from driving for three years.