‘Wife’s lover attacked my car in rage’
AROAD safety campaigner yesterday denied deliberately running over his estranged wife’s new man and claimed his love rival attacked his car “in a blind rage”, Newport Crown Court heard.
Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Spiller, 36, is accused of using his Audi A5 to mow down Karl Davies, 40.
But Spiller claimed Mr Davies began punching his car after being confronted while out with his wife, Vicky, 35.
Spiller said he had been married 10 years before beginning to suspect his wife and Mr Davies were having an affair.
Spiller, of Carn Wen, Broadlands, Bridgend, denies dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He told a jury that the pair would meet up to go running and became “uncomfortably friendly”.
He said that two months before the alleged attack his wife spent New Year’s Eve with Mr Davies while he was left to look after their children.
He said: “Vicky’s attitude towards me and the children changed.
“She got very distant, she began to spend a lot of time trying to get out of the house.
“When she was in the house she was on the phone to him and texting him.”
Spiller said to celebrate New Year’s Eve they went for a family meal in a Chinese restaurant where “Vicky got blind drunk”.
He said: “We got back to the house afterwards and Vicky just got her stuff and said, ‘I’m going out’. She was blind drunk.
“She spent the night with Karl Davies, the children were home with me. That confirmed a suspicion I had.”
Spiller denies attacking Mr Davies with his car in February 2017 and said Mr Davies punched his wing mirror and shattered the car window.
He said his sister-in-law, Holly Crawford, was in the passenger seat when Mr Davies sprinted at the car.
He said: “Karl Davies was running at my car. Holly opened her door and with that Karl came around to her side of the car. He slammed the door back on her – I don’t know whether he kicked it or punched it.
“There were just punches going everywhere. He punched the pillar, then the wing mirror.
“I turned the car back into reverse – he followed, he was in a blind, blind rage.”
Spiller said Mr Davies then followed the car and attacked Miss Crawford.
He said: “He started punching the passenger window – he punched that window three times before it broke.
“To actually see someone punching a window then punching it through – the whole thing was horrific.
“His hand went in the car and he had hold of Holly’s hair and had hold of her throat. She was screaming hysterically.”
Spiller said he reversed the car to get Mr Davies off the car because it was his only option.
He said: “The man had just hit my wing mirror, hit a window through, what other way did I have to get rid of him?”
Mr Davies was left with a fractured skull and had to be treated in hospital, and says he has no memory of it.
Spiller’s sister-in-law, Holly Crawford, 32, described the moment Mr Davies smashed the car window looking “like he wanted to kill somebody”.
Miss Crawford said she has known Mr Spiller since the age of around 14.
Miss Crawford said: “Ian brought the kids around. He was upset because Vicky had gone to town with Karl drinking and then realised an affair had been going on and he was upset.
“The kids were upset. They were all crying.”
Miss Crawford told the court she had rung Mr Davies’ phone, telling him he was a “disgusting human being” and had “broken up a family”. She added there was no reply. Miss Crawford said she and Ian were in the car on their way to his and Vicky’s home when they came across her and Mr Davies.
She said: “As soon as Karl sees the car he starts running. Ian has pulled onto the kerb to park up.
“He runs up to my side of the car and starts punching. He looked like he wanted to kill somebody.”
While Mr Davies was punching the window, Miss Crawford said Mrs Spiller was shouting, “no Karl, no”.
She added: “Ian is sat there in disbelief. We were crapping ourselves.
“We did not know what was going to go on. Then he decides he wants me out of the car and grabs hold of my hair and my jumper and tried to pull me out.
“I held onto the handle to make sure, I held on for dear life.”
When asked if Mr Spiller drove at Mr Davies, she said “not at all”.
The trial continues.