Shane Anthony Matherson found guilty of running down Thebarton scrap metal yard employee

A judge has handed down her verdict in the trial of a “panicked” man who claims he was trying to evade angry employees when he hit one with his car twice.

A man who claimed he was in a state of “panic and distress” when he twice ran down a scrap metal yard worker after a trade deal gone wrong has been found guilty.

Shane Anthony Matherson, 53, from Blair Athol, was standing trial in the District Court before Judge Geraldine Davison without a jury, charged with one count of endangering the life of Denron Metals employee Craig Hatchard on March 6, 2021. He had pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution told the court Matherson attended the scrap metal yard on the corner of West Thebarton Rd and Murray St at closing time, when Mr Hatchard told him the business was shut before swearing and telling him to move his car.

Mr Hatchard, 55, then hit the windscreen of the van – causing it to crack – prompting Matherson to drive the van forward, the court heard.

In his evidence, Matherson said he was panicked because men surrounded his car, and he then rammed Mr Hatchard with his car, pinning him between the side of the van and a white vehicle parked on the side of the road. Mr Hatchard fell to the ground as a result.

The court was told that upon being alerted to the incident, Mr Hatchard’s brother Jamie armed himself with a machete while a customer armed himself with an axe.

Shane Anthony Matherson leaves the District Court in Adelaide after being found guilty. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Shane Anthony Matherson leaves the District Court in Adelaide on Friday. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Prosecutors told the court Matherson drove down the street’s cul-de-sac and returned at speed, hitting the employee a second time – running over his arm and shoulder.

Matherson claimed he didn’t realise he had hit Mr Hatchard again.

“There’s no way I would hit anybody,” he told the court last month. “I panicked. The only thing on my mind was to just get out of that street.

“As I got halfway up the street I noticed four or five of them (employees) standing in the middle – one had a machete, one had an axe and I think one had some sort of pole.

“I didn’t see Craig Hatchard on the ground – I really didn’t want to run him over.”

Giving evidence last month, Mr Hatchard, 55, said he was yelling Matherson because other customers were trying to leave the metal yard.

“People wanted to get out, but he demanded he wasn’t going to move until he was allowed in. I went back (and) told my brother and he said, ‘nup, don’t let him in if he’s being abusive’,” Mr Hatchard said.

“I returned out and I told him to move and he wouldn’t. I was standing in front of his car and I just like hit his windscreen and it cracked and with that, he just ran me down. I landed on my back, hit my head on the ground and then he continued up the road.”

He said he heard “yelling and screaming” as he lay on the road, dazed after he was run over by Matherson the first time. Seconds later, he was run down again.

“I don’t really remember a lot, because when I was run down the first time I hit my head hard on the bitumen and I was just dazed. I couldn’t remember much,” he told the court.

“I could feel his car, his right side clip my ear, sort of thing, and the rest of the car ran down my shoulder – down my arm.”

The matter has been adjourned until next month for the prosecution and defence to prepare their sentencing submissions.