‘She wound me up’ - irate man’s words to police after hitting girlfriend with van after night out

DRINK-DRIVER SMASHED INTO PARKED CAR BEFORE SPEEDING AND ACCIDENTALLY RUNNING INTO HER

AN IRATE man ran over his own girlfriend after a blazing row on a night out.

The 41-year-old victim was sent flying into the air by Benjamin Payne, 43, after he ploughed into her at speed while he was nearly double the drink-drive limit.

The victim, who was said to be “lucky to be alive”, suffered a fractured pelvis, tailbone, swelling to her head, a cut to her arm needing stitches, extensive grazes and severe bruises.

Payne got out of his van and dragged the unconscious woman into the vehicle moments before police arrived.

Payne, of Cumbrian Way, Shepshed, was arrested and went on to admit dangerous driving, two counts of causing damage, driving over the alcohol limit and having no insurance at Leicester Crown Court.

The judge said the court accepted Payne had not intended to run over his girlfriend, otherwise he would have been charged with grievous bodily harm.

The couple have since split up. Neil Bannister, prosecuting, told the court the couple began drinking at the Moon and Bell pub, in Ward’s End, Loughborough, at 7.30pm on Friday, October 1.

They ended up having an argument and left at about 9.30pm.

Witnesses heard Payne screaming at his partner, hurling “insulting and vile” abuse at her.

Then, when he tried to hug her, she shrugged him away – and refused offers of help from others, including an overnight stay at a nearby hotel.

The police were called by concerned witnesses.

Meanwhile, Payne stormed off to his Astra van, at the nearby Beehive car park, despite having had five double Jack Daniels and cola drinks.

In the car park, he collided with a parked Lexus, causing about £900 of damage.

Mr Bannister said: “Payne couldn’t find his exit ticket and drove straight through the barrier.”

He ignored a red traffic light at a junction, pulling out slowly at first and then accelerated at speed along Leicester Road.

The defendant’s girlfriend was already beginning to cross the road ahead, but he was going so fast he could not avoid colliding with her.

The judge said: “It was her great misfortune she happened to be in his path. It could equally have been someone else.”

She was taken to the Queen’s

Medical Centre in Nottingham and has no memory of the collision.

A breath test showed Payne had 67 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

In an interview with police after his arrest, Payne said: “She wound me up.”

When shown the collision footage he accepted it looked like he was doing double the 30mph limit.

In a personal impact statement, made on November 29, the woman said it would “take months” to fully recover and had only just stopped using crutches, but was receiving ongoing treatment, physiotherapy and counselling.

She stated: “The pain is a constant reminder of what Ben did to me.

“I’m still shocked someone I thought loved me should do this.

“If it wasn’t for my family I don’t know how I’d have coped, they’ve been helping me to get to hospital appointments.”

Payne, who has 33 previous offences to his name, including two for drink-driving, was jailed for two years and nine months and banned from driving for four-and-a-half years.

Oliver Kavanagh, mitigating, said: “He says it’s the worst mistake of his life. He’s deeply remorseful. He thinks about what he’s done every night and doesn’t dispute he deserves to go to prison. The probation report says he’s had real problems with his mental health, suffering from low mood and anxiety, that’s linked to his offending.

“He has always worked and is a self-employed tree surgeon and does property maintenance and the loss of his driving licence will affect his work.”

He said Payne was seeking help with an alcohol issue “that has been the real cause of his problems”.