Angry driver swerved towards teenager and 'hit him head on'

Krzysztof Pawlicki took the law into his own hands when CCTV - set up at his Tipton home after windows were broken and members of his family were abused in the street – showed his car had been tampered with while parked on the drive.

The 42-year-old leapt into the vehicle in a rage and drove straight at the teenager who was standing by the side of a nearby street with friends and had nothing to do with the vandalism, the court was told.

The victim was knocked to the ground where he lay motionless as Pawlicki drove away without checking on his condition. The youth was assessed in Sandwell General Hospital for 12 hours but amazingly escaped with just cuts and bruises.

Miss Elizabeth Power, prosecuting, explained: "The car swerved towards the injured party and hit him head on. The youth fell onto the road. The defendant stopped his vehicle and then reversed before driving away without making any attempt to see how the youth was."

Mr Stephen Hamblett, defending, said: "He and his family had been suffering at the hands of local youths. His car had been damaged, windows broken and comments made to them in the street.

"He told the police but did not feel that anything was done and so set up CCTV of his own which showed some youths either damaging or interfering with his vehicle and he went out to look for them. There is no suggestion that the youth who was injured was responsible.

"Since this happened police officers have taken a proactive approach and there have been no further incidents but the family would like to move to another area where they can live their life in peace."

Former bus driver Pawlicki from Union Street, Tipton, who was of previous good character but had been troubled by mental health problems, pleaded guilty to wounding and dangerous driving on December 9 and was jailed for two years two months. He was also banned from driving for three years.

Judge John Wait told him: "Youths had been causing problems before you became irrationally angered by an incident of relatively minor damage.

"You went out looking for the culprits without any evidence as to who they were. You saw a group of youths and, using you car as a weapon, aimed at one of them.What you did could have killed that young man. It is a matter of chance and mercy that he was not badly injured."

Defendant admitted wounding and dangerous driving and jailed for two years two months