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CCTV shows car crash into Blake's nightclub in Gravesend

This is the horrifying moment a driver sped his car onto a packed dancefloor inside a nightclub.

CCTV shown to the jury in the trial of Mohammed Abdul captures the frightening scene after his Suzuki Vitara crashed into revellers in Blake's nightclub in Gravesend.

The 21-year-old of McMillan Street, Deptford, south east London, denies attempted murder covering multiple alleged victims.

CCTV shows Mohammed Abdul drive his car into Blake's nightclub in Gravesend. Video: Kent Police

The video shows people diving for cover as Abdul drove down an alley adjacent to the nightclub, where grime rapper Giggs was on his way to perform shortly before the incident happened.

Moments later, CCTV shows him crashing into several people, then reversing the car back out into the alley.

KentOnline has taken the decision not to show the moment his car hits several people on the crowded dancefloor inside a marquee at the club.

Abdul, who admitted being “very intoxicated", claimed he had no intention to kill anybody, saying he was trying to get away from bouncers.

The former private school pupil said he had not been to the club before and hoped he could get away when he drove down an alleyway into the marquee.

“I knew if I stopped driving I would get my head kicked in,” he told a jury.

Asked by his lawyer if he accepted it was “an utterly risky piece of driving”, he replied: “Absolutely.”

CCTV shows Mohammed Abdul driving his Suzuki Vitara at Blake's nightclub in Gravesend. Picture: Kent Police
CCTV shows Mohammed Abdul driving his Suzuki Vitara at Blake's nightclub in Gravesend. Picture: Kent Police

Asked if he “wanted it to be the last day on earth for anyone in there”, he answered: “Absolutely not.”

Maidstone Crown Court has heard it was at first feared the incident was a terrorist attack, but Abdul was alleged to have taken revenge for being ejected because of his intoxication.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor said it was “a determined and indiscriminate effort to cause carnage and death to anyone who was in his way”.

Abdul was said to have warned one of the door staff: “If I can’t come in, I’m going to come back and shut this place down and kill you guys.”

A few minutes later, shortly before midnight on March 17, he started to drive his Vauxhall Vitara down an alleyway at the side of the Queen Street nightclub.

A doorman tried to stop him, but he continued as staff and customers, aged 17 to 25, jumped out of the way.

“I knew if I stopped driving I would get my head kicked in..." - Mohammed Abdul

Mr Taylor said as Abdul approached the marquee being used as part of the club, with a dance floor and DJ booth, he stopped for about nine seconds, “no doubt to make a final decision about what he was going to do next”, before driving into it at speed, hitting several people.

“He travelled for a distance of around five to 10 metres and gave the customers and staff, who were in his wake, no time to react,” he told the jury of seven men and five women.

“As a consequence, some of the occupants of the marquee were hit by the car and thrown onto the bonnet and then onto the floor.”

Abdul reversed, but was overpowered by door staff and customers and left injured.

Most seriously hurt of the eight people struck were Pierre Joseph, a cameraman who was at the club to film rapper Giggs, and customer Katie Wells.

Mr Joseph suffered a fractured left shinbone and bruises and Miss Wells, who was standing just inside the marquee smoking, had a fractured pelvis and bruises.

The court heard that Abdul at first refused to give a blood sample and it was over 14 hours when one was taken. It was not, therefore, possible to assess his level of intoxication at the time of the incident.

It was found that he had used cannabis at some point and Abdul admitted he was a regular user of the drug.

Giving evidence, Abdul said he came to the UK with his parents from Nairobi when he was less than one-year-old. He, his four brothers and two sisters all lived in Deptford.

He attended a private school and left with eight GCSEs. He went to college and studied finance and business and planned to go to university next year after taking a year off.

He had no previous convictions and had been given two cautions for criminal damage and possessing heroin.

Abdul said he and a friend had decided to go to Blake’s about four or five hours earlier on March 17, mainly to see the rapper Giggs.

He had drinks at the friend’s home and smoked cannabis before entering the club at 8.38pm.

Abdul said he usually smoked about 5g of cannabis a day, but he had 6-7g that day.

“At that point, I was not feeling intoxicated,” he said. “I wasn’t sober. I did feel tipsy.”

At the club, he said he drank about 10 vodkas, mixed with either Red Bull or Coke, and had a few shots.

He admitted that when he was ejected at 11.41pm he was “very intoxicated”. He remembered being on the dance floor when he was told to leave.

“I was asking the bouncer the reasons I was being ejected,” he said. “I recall the bouncer saying to go. I was handed over at the gates to someone else.”

He said the CCTV footage showed him trying to reason with doormen and to get an explanation for being ejected.

“One said ‘If you don’t move, we will physically remove you.’ I went into the alleyway. At that point, I was pushed with both hands, and I fell on the floor. I was embarrassed, basically.”

He agreed that led to his change in demeanour.

Katie Wells, a regular at the club, said in a statement she went with a friend to see rapper Giggs.

MISSING CAPTION (4242727)
MISSING CAPTION (4242727)

Just before midnight she was just inside the marquee smoking as it was snowing and very cold.

“I flicked my cigarette butt towards this pot,” she said. “At this point, I heard a bang, loud enough to turn around. I saw car headlights.

“The car had come through the gates which are normally closed. It came straight into the marquee area. The car stopped, then came towards me.

“It happened extremely quickly. It hit me with force in the middle of my right thigh. I assumed I went under the car. I closed my eyes. I tried to get away.

“I was at the end of the marquee between sofas. Somebody pulled me back. The car reversed and stopped. I remember people using cocktail tables to smash the window.

“I thought I had broken my left elbow. I also had pain in my pelvis. I couldn’t walk. I was in shock. I had tyre marks on my leg and went up into my groin area.”

She was taken to King’s College Hospital in London and treated for two fractures to her pelvis and a strained elbow. She was discharged on March 19.

Another customer, Oladipo Adegbite, described how it was “like a domino effect” when the car struck people.

Abdul denies two charges of attempting to murder people in the vicinity of the nightclub and an alternative of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

He also denies two charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Joseph and Miss Wells.

He admits two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Mr Joseph and Miss Wells.

The trial continues.

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