Image: Kent Police
A 30-year-old man has been jailed for 27 years for attempted murder after deliberately driving over a man’s head and hitting another pedestrian.
Anthony Deeprose from Church Close, Maidstone, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court with an additional three years on licence after being found guilty of the two charges of attempted murder after admitting assault by beating, disqualified driving as well as dangerous driving.
Speaking to the Press Association a Kent Police spokesman said the defendant had been on a night out with friends when he became aggrieved with another man at a pub in Maidstone on November 12 2022.
The defendant then proceeded to attack the man outside the pub before getting into his car and driving at the other man’s group of friends, knocking one to the ground.
Deeprose then drove back at them, running over the head of the man lying on the ground and hitting another with the vehicle.
The force spokesman said: “During the evening there was some interaction between the two groups who were previously unacquainted.
“Deeprose mentioned to one of the men from the other party that he was going through a hard time and appeared to take it badly when the latter tried to commiserate. A short while later, both men were outside the premises in Station Road, when Deeprose suddenly punched him in the head.
“The victim’s friends came out of the pub to remonstrate with Deeprose, who had got into a silver Vauxhall Corsa parked outside.
“He then drove directly at this group, who were by now in the road, and collided with a man in his 20s, before continuing towards the railway station with the headlights off.
“As the injured man was lying in the road, his friends along with staff from the pub tried to assist, but Deeprose returned in the vehicle, again with the lights off.
“This time the wheel of the Corsa went over the first victim’s head and the car also collided with a second man in his 20s.
“Deeprose, of no fixed address, drove from the scene with some of his associates.
“The first person he had struck with the car was taken to a London hospital with a serious head injury, with the second suffering leg injuries.”
Detective Constable Mark Butler said: “Deeprose knew he was likely to cause serious harm to those he drove towards and it is only by chance that we were not dealing with fatalities.
“Nonetheless, one of the victims suffered life-changing injuries and many of those involved would have been traumatised by this appalling incident.”