John Nichols, Ruth Limn: Busby neighbourhood dispute, woman crushed
A night of violence between feuding families, fuelled by street brawls and rising tensions, ultimately ended when a 4WD ploughed into a grandmother of eight, crushing her between two vehicles.
Liverpool
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A night of violence between two feuding families, fuelled by street brawls and rising tensions, ultimately came to a halt when father-of-seven John Spiro Nichols ploughed his 4WD into a grandmother, crushing her between two vehicles.
The 50-year-old, who pleaded guilty to the senseless violence three years after the September 2016 incident, yelled at the victim’s family words to the effect of, “I wish I’d killed her … next time you better watch yourself” as he drove from the scene, the agreed facts revealed.
The victim Ruth Limn, a grandmother of eight, was hospitalised for over a week as medical professionals worked to save her left leg.
In Campbelltown District Court on Monday, Nichols’s partner Vanessa Ankrett described her partner as fiercely protective and loyal and said he was “afraid” as tensions escalated with the Phippen family who lived 80m away in Busby.
The agreed facts, tendered to the court, reveal a dispute between Nichols’s son and a member of the Phippen family led to a fiery street fight between the two family patriarchs, resulting in the arrest of Kevin Phippen, Ruth Limn’s husband. He was later released without charge.
Hours later, Nichols is alleged to have attacked the car of Kylie Phippen, the daughter of Ms Limn, with a metal pole as she drove past later that night. Nichols says this didn’t happen.
About 10.30pm, the 50-year-old stood out the front of his house and yelled words to the effect of “I will kill you f**king c**ts” and hopped into a Toyota Landcruiser. He sped down the street and ultimately crushed Ms Limm in her front yard, the agreed facts stated.
Ms Ankrett told the court when Nichols returned home after the collision he said “I think I just killed somebody”. The agreed facts state he initially told police he didn’t hit anybody and that he feared his house was going to be shot up.
Nichols’s barrister told the court his client didn’t intentionally drive at Ms Limm but drove at the parked car, a suggestion Judge Julia Baly struggled to comprehend.
“He sees the person (near the parked car), how can it be that he didn’t drive at the person,” Ms Baly said.
Nichols will be sentenced on four offences, including cause reckless grievous bodily harm and intentionally damage property, in Campbelltown District Court on Thursday.
The court heard Nichols is currently remanded in custody on an unrelated matter.