A man who knowingly drove a car with dodgy brakes before running over a woman on the pavement and carrying her on his bonnet has been jailed for three years.

Daniel Richards, of Selbourne Road, Gillingham, carried the victim on the front of his car for 10 metres after he swerved out of the way of an oncoming vehicle in Oxford Road, Gillingham.

He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court today after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard how Richards was driving down Oxford Road, which had been reduced to one lane due to parked cars, before approaching the bend.

He then had to swerve onto the pavement to avoid an oncoming car travelling between the parked vehicles.

Richards continued on the pavement and struck a woman in the middle of the path, carrying her on the bonnet before she fell under the front of the car and was driven over.

"The victim is continuing to recover from multiple serious injuries because of his actions..." - Detective Constable Martin Stevens

The 34-year-old then left her lying injured in the street before driving off.

An hour after the incident officers located his car, a black Vauxhall Corsa, abandoned on a grass verge between Rosebery Road and Pier Road, in Gillingham, with damage consistent with the incident.

Richards was quickly identified as a suspect after police spoke to eye witnesses and his attempts to go into hiding were quashed when he was located at a flat in Woolwich two days later.

Detective Constable Martin Stevens, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: "There are no mitigating circumstances for the levels of wilful ignorance Richards’ displayed towards the victim, who was completely innocent and unknown to him.

"He made a conscious decision when he set out that day to drive his vehicle knowing about its dangerous condition and he showed no remorse for the victim or her condition following the incident when he fled from the scene.

"The victim is continuing to recover from multiple serious injuries because of his actions and I am pleased that we have secured some justice for her."

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