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David Drury 'run over' by Michael Johnson in bid to avoid parking ticket, court hears

By: Keith Hunt

Published: 14:08, 25 April 2017

A traffic warden was run down by a teenage driver as he sped off in an attempt to avoid a parking ticket, a court heard.

The incident was captured on the body cameras of both the alleged victim, David Drury, and his colleague Rikesh Solanki.

Mr Drury could be heard on the film footage saying “Ouch” and “Jesus wept” after he went over the bonnet of the Vauxhall Omega driven by Michael Johnson.

Video: Footage shown to the court was taken from the wardens' body cameras

Maidstone Crown Court was told Mr Drury was supervising rookie “civil enforcement officer” Rikesh Solanki in Eastchurch in the early afternoon of July 8 last year.

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The pair had seen 18-year-old Johnson’s car parked on the pavement next to zig-zag lines close to a pedestrian crossing in the High Street.

Mr Drury told the jury he went to park his car while Mr Solanki went to speak to Johnson. As Mr Drury returned he heard the teenager say: “I said I was going.”

Mr Drury told him: “You should have moved when you had the opportunity. Now it’s too late.”

Johnson walked off to a nearby seafood van and Mr Solanki started printing out the parking ticket. Holding a food container, Johnson returned to the car.

“I was on the pavement near to the shop entrance,” said Mr Drury. “I was about to tell the driver if he drove away he would still get a ticket in the post.

“I heard the car rev very loudly. I didn’t see the car hit me. I bounced onto the bonnet and over the bonnet and landed on the passenger side.

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“I was about 15 feet away when the car moved. When it hit me I was on the pavement.”

It's alleged Johnson sped off after being given a parking ticket

Questioned by defence QC Michael Ivers, Mr Drury said: “What I would normally do is give the person the opportunity to move. If they don’t move straight away I would issue a ticket.

“I said: ‘Give him a ticket.’ He said: ‘I said I was going.’ I was looking at Rikesh at the time. I didn’t see him coming towards me. I didn’t have time to look up.”

Mr Drury, who suffered only minor injuries, had estimated the car was doing about 25mph at the time, but he said: “I really don’t know. All I know is how it felt when it hit me.

“It is as realistic as I felt on the day and as I feel now. As far as I am aware it did mount the pavement. It came into me hard and it just felt like that.

“I went to the floor. I got up straight away. You have got more than your eyesight for judgement, and that’s what I used.”

"The intention of a person who drives a car, effectively using it as a weapon, and drives it into a person, has the intention to cause really serious bodily harm" - Philip Bennetts

Mr Drury used his radio to report the matter, saying: “I have just been run over.”

Prosecutor Philip Bennetts QC said Johnson asserted his driving was not dangerous and he had no intention to cause injury.

“The prosecution case is his driving you see on that film was dangerous,” he told the jury of seven women and five men. You can be satisfied so you are sure of that.

“The intention of a person who drives a car, effectively using it as a weapon, and drives it into a person, has the intention to cause really serious bodily harm.

“Fortunately, very little harm was caused to the traffic warden.”

Johnson, of Shannon Place, Warden Road, Eastchurch, denies attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.

The trial continues.

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