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Cabbie jailed for deliberately running over pedestrian in Jaguar
Peter Dominiczak18 Sep 2009
A mini-cab driver who deliberately ran over a pedestrian as he drove a party of solicitors from the Ivy restaurant has been jailed for four years.
Russell Croft, 48, used his S-Type Jaguar as a “lethal weapon” to flatten engineer Michael Wiggs who was with friends crossing a busy street in Soho, central London.
Croft, who was ferrying a group of solicitors from the restaurant to the Chinawhite nightclub, left his 32-year-old victim with “catastrophic injuries”.
They included a fractured skull, a punctured lung and numerous breaks to his ribs and legs.
Mr Wiggs was in hospital for three weeks following the incident on 14 June last year and still suffers nerve damage in his hands and anxiety attacks.
Croft was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving following a seven-day trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: “As Mr Wiggs moved across the front of your vehicle, to the driver's side, you put your foot down hard on the accelerator. He must have got caught on the front of your wheel because he fell backwards on to the ground, hit his head on the road and got a fractured skull.
“You continued to accelerate and literally drove over him, first the front wheel and then the back wheel. Your behaviour after this incident was extraordinary. You were seen by many witnesses on your phone laughing and smiling. You appeared calm to others.”
Mr Wiggs had been out for dinner and drinks with friends prior to the attack late on 14 June last year.
He was crossing the road near the junction of Berwick Street and D'Arblay Street when Croft's car first 'nudged' him.
Anita Arora, prosecuting, said: “Croft drove at Mr Wiggs effectively using that car as you might do a punch or some other weapon. He knew full well that he had knocked him over, and having done that he carried on until he had gone over Mr Wiggs with the entire length of his blue Jaguar saloon car.”
Giving evidence Mr Wiggs said he had drunk four pints of beer and eaten a large meal at Satsuma in Wardour Street before he was run over.
He said: “We left the restaurant and we had decided to go for a couple more drinks. I looked around and crossed the road. I got hit from my right in my mid-thigh. It knocked me sideways. I was surprised and quite shocked. I imagine I turned round to see what had hit me and he hit me a second time. The next thing I know I'm waking up in hospital. It was a pretty traumatic event.”
Croft dialled 999 and when police arrived he told them: “I'm the one you want. I ran him over.”
But he went on to claim it was an accident.
He said: “I'm a private hire driver. A pedestrian was standing in the middle of the road. He appeared to be in an inebriated state. He refused to move.”
Croft, of Mallow Close, Tadworth, Surrey, denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.
Reader views (10)
Greetings people of London !!!! Could i please correct some of the misconceptions created by the above article. 1) I was found NOT GUILTY of GBH With Intent, so the phrase used above of "deliberately" running over Mr Wiggs is factually incorrect. 2) At the court of appeal in june of this year my sentence of 4 years was substituted to one of 3 years, due to the Judge misleading himself in his summing up.3)All witnesses to the incident agreed that at no time was the car travelling at more than 5 MPH 4) Mr Wiggs was actually,how can i say it..."3 sheets to the wind", having consumed between 4-5 glasses of Lager.The actions of Mr Wiggs that day,according to one of the PROSECUTION witnesses ,were of someone whom " might be carrying a knife or simply wanted to start a fight with whoever was in the car "....What i"m trying to say is that I realise that a dull story is NO story, but if you"d been in court you"d have got the whole story. thanks for reading this missive...Russell Croft
- Russell Croft, london , uk, 15/12/2010 21:35
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Why don't we call it like it is, attempted murder, 4 years what a joke. This person was near fatally wounded. I drive and cycle, have driven large and small vehicles and water craft. I myself have had taxi drivers cut me up on corners and then say I should not be on the road, when I was clearly in the right. I don't cross red lights and I don't push in, yet drivers still treat me like road kill, fair game. We need the law to obviously notice that such driving is attempting to put at risk another person or persons life. Not just careless driving, 'oops was that your head I just crushed, 12 months ban for me then, crumbs, how I will be put out'. The fact that this persons family could of lost their father/son/uncle etc... Is not taken in consideration. ATTEMPTED MURDER!
- Rob, Manchester, 26/11/2010 15:37
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Kev
"Now if the victim was a cyclist"
James
"I guess if the driver was a cyclist"
What part of this article do you both not understand, he was a pedestrian, no cyclist were involved or have been mentioned in this article. Please read more carefully in future before commenting.
- David, London, 18/09/2009 16:01
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I guess if the driver was a cyclist, travelling at speed, the police would have just given him a ticking off, if they could catch him !
- James, City of London, 18/09/2009 14:15
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Kev, are you seriously suggesting that it would be okay to commit assault on a cyclist if they ran a red light? In which case preumably I would be okay dragging a driver out of a car and beating seven bells out of him for stopping in the green cycling box at traffic lights?
- Bob, Cheam, 18/09/2009 14:08
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This "driver" should never be allowed to drive a car again.
- Linda, Islington, London, 18/09/2009 11:24
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Now if the victim was a cyclist just gone through a red light or jumped of the pavement in front of the car etc,i could more understand the assailants rage.But once again the poor hap less victim happens to be a pedestrian using the most efficient and natural form of movement!
- Kev, London-UK, 18/09/2009 11:16
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An IQ test should also be compulsory on top of the theory test judging by the number of brainless motorists there are on the roads.
- David, London, 18/09/2009 10:11
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Based on comments posted recently on this web site, some readers would have applauded this crime had the victim been riding a bicycle.
- Austen, London, 18/09/2009 09:10
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This shows yet again that the UK really needs psychological profiling to be part of the driving test.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark, 18/09/2009 08:42
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