Accrington Observer

Jailed: Thug who drove car into love rival

Mechanic also kicked pregnant ex in stomach

- JON MACPHERSON

ATHUG has been jailed for six years after driving a car into his pregnant ex-wife’s new boyfriend and kicking her in the stomach. A court heard that Mark Findlay, of Accrington, lured Kamran Ali into the street by stealing the woman’s phone and messaging him on WhatsApp.

He then drove at Mr Ali from behind, throwing him onto the bonnet and windscreen. Findlay later torched the car to hide the evidence.

Earlier the same day father-of-three Findlay, 28, of Countess Street, headbutted and kicked his ex-wife in the stomach at her home, knocking out some of her teeth.

Findlay was found guilty after a trial at Preston Crown Court of attempted GBH with intent, dangerous driving, ABH, arson, perverting the course of justice and theft.

Judge Ian Leeming QC told the court that Findlay had used the ‘car as a weapon’.

ATHUG who deliberate­ly hit a love rival with a car after headbuttin­g and kicking his pregnant exwife in the stomach has been jailed.

Mark Findlay, of Countess Street, Accrington, mounted the pavement using an old Vauxhall Corsa and hit pedestrian Kamran Ali from behind causing him to roll onto the bonnet and windscreen, a court heard.

Prosecutor­s said Mr Ali was in a relationsh­ip with Findley’s ex wife and that self-employed mechanic Findley lured him to the street after stealing her mobile phone and contacting him through WhatsApp.

Earlier the same day father-of-three Findlay, 28, headbutted and kicked his ex-wife in the stomach at her home causing some of her teeth to be knocked out, the court heard.

Police later found the Corsa on fire after Findlay deliberate­ly torched the vehicle to erase any forensic evidence, a judge was told.

Findlay was found guilty after a trial at Preston Crown Court of attempted GBH with intent, dangerous driving, ABH, arson, perverting the course of justice and theft. He was jailed for a total of seven years and three months and disqualifi­ed from driving for six years and six months.

Lisa Worsley, prosecutin­g, told the court how the incidents happened on June 16 last year after Findlay went round to his ex-wife’s house in Blackburn.

Findlay demanded her mobile phone before ‘slapping her to the face’ which caused her to bang her head on a cupboard and fall to the floor.

The defendant then kicked the pregnant victim in the stomach and when she tried to escape ‘threw her onto the settee’ and banged her head into a door frame.

Findlay then headbutted the victim before fleeing the house.

The court heard how the victim went to her aunt’s house and they then saw Findlay ‘driving repeatedly at speed past the address’ in an old Corsa which belonged to a mutual friend.

Miss Worsley said Findlay had stolen his ex-wife’s mobile phone and began contacting Mr Ali and told him to go to the bottom of a street in Blackburn.

The court heard how when Mr Ali arrived he ‘heard the sound of car wheels spinning’ before being ‘thrown into the air’.

The collision was witnessed by a nearby worker and dashcam footage on another car showed the Corsa fleeing the area with a smashed windscreen.

Police found the car one hour later on fire.

 ??  ?? Mark Findlay
Mark Findlay
 ??  ?? Mark Findlay has been jailed for seven years and three months
Mark Findlay has been jailed for seven years and three months

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