Man jailed for 15 months for running down a person in Golden Grove car park in 2016

A MAN who deliberately ran down a person in a Golden Grove car park, and then manoeuvred his car to hit him again, will spend 15 months behind bars for the terrifying attack.

A MAN who deliberately ran down a person in a Golden Grove car park, and then manoeuvred his car to hit him again, will spend 15 months behind bars for the terrifying attack.

Luke James Stephen, 31, of Hewett, pleaded guilty in the District Court to causing harm with intent over the incident at the Golden Grove Village Shopping Centre on March 5, 2016.

During sentencing last week, Judge Geraldine Davison said the victim had gone to a chicken shop at the centre about 7.30pm that night and as he walked out of the shop, Stephen drove at him.

“As the victim left the chicken shop, you reversed out of the car park, drove around the car park that was virtually empty at the time and then drove through a gap in the car park and deliberately aimed your vehicle at the victim as he was walking towards his car,” she said.

“There is CCTV footage from three different cameras that shows quite clearly that you not only lined up the victim but you manoeuvred your vehicle, having hit him, so that you could hit him once again.

“You deliberately ran him over.

“His leg became stuck in the wheel of your car and you then drove off, avoiding another car who had witnessed what you had done in the car park.”

The court was told the witnesses followed Stephen, who drove at about 100km/h through backstreets in Golden Grove, and phoned police.

“You too, telephoned the police,” Judge Davison said.

“You told police that you were in a car park and you saw a man who tried to attack you with a weapon a few months ago and you were startled when you saw him.

“You then said to the police that you went around to where he was and you told the police that ‘he jumped out, sort of near the front of your car, and you slowly ran him over’.

“It is clear from the footage that what you told the police about how this had happened is not the truth.”

The court heard the victim sustained tyre track marks on his hip and torso, bruising to both legs and significant grazes on his thighs and knees.

“He was dragged under your car and suffered bruising to his elbows and arms from the fall,” Judge Davison said.

“He still has pain when he is on his feet for a couple of hours and suffers pain and stiffness in his hips.”

Judge Davison said “no clear explanation has been given as to why” Stephen committed the offence.

She noted he had a history of drug-use issues and some prior offences recorded against him, mostly in relation to driving offences.

Stephen was jailed for three years and two months with a non-parole period of 15 months.