Nurse ran over ex after drunken rugby club row
ANURSE had a drunken row with her ex-boyfriend and then proceeded to run him over in a rugby club car park, a court has heard.
Rebecca Thomas, of Heol Dulais, Birchgrove, Swansea, had been in a relationship with David Robinson which had ended around four months before the incident, which took place on the evening of Saturday, September 24, 2022.
On that evening a row broke out between the two of them in a vehicle which was parked in the car park of Birchgrove Rugby Club in Swansea. Prosecutor Brian Simpson told Swansea Crown Court both Thomas, 37, and Mr Robinson, 45, were intoxicated at the time of the incident and could not remember much of what occurred.
Mr Robinson did, however, say that “he had never seen the defendant as drunk as she was on that day”.
Mr Simpson added that Mr Robinson “recalls being in the driver’s seat of the defendant’s car” where she “grabbed him, punched him, and pulled off his neck chain”.
Following the incident Mr Robinson suffered from tenderness to the neck and arm, a black eye and bruising, and later went to hospital before being discharged with no serious injuries.
The prosecution barrister showed CCTV footage to the court which was recovered from the rugby club.
One angle only shows the car and what appears to be a scuffle taking place inside it before both the complainant and the defendant get out of the vehicle. Another angle, however, shows a much clearer view of what happened after they had exited the vehicle.
While Thomas gets back into the car, this time the driver’s seat, Mr Robinson walks away from the rugby club towards the car park entrance. The car – being driven by Thomas – is then seen entering the screen from the right and veering into Mr Robinson before being driven away.
The CCTV footage clearly shows Mr Robinson being struck by the car and being flipped onto the bonnet before he falls and is left to lie on the ground.
Mr Simpson said: “He lies there for about four and a half minutes before passers-by come to help him. He then went to his new girlfriend’s house and later to hospital.”
Defence barrister Robin Rouch told the court that his client had no previous convictions or cautions on her record, but when Judge Geraint Walters made it clear that the offending would pass the custody threshold Mr Rouch said that he had “no further submissions” to make.
Addressing Thomas, a nurse by profession and someone who is “highly valued”, Judge Walters said both the defendant and her ex-partner had “consumed far too much drink”.
He said: “You were both heavily under the influence. This incident would not have happened if it was not for that.
“The reality is having been together that day the red mist descended on you. There was an altercation between you. When he walks off you drive away and you veer the car into him.”
Thomas had previously admitted charges of battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and dangerous driving. She was handed a sixmonth prison sentence suspended for a period of two years.
Furthermore, Thomas will have to pay a surcharge of £154 within a 12-week period and she must complete a mental health treatment requirement for a period of 12 months and a 30-hour rehabilitation activity requirement.
She was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and will only be able to drive again after passing an extended driving test.