This is the moment a drunk driver drove his car into a crowd and injured seven people outside a pub.
James Bates, of Blenheim Road, Littlestone, Kent, has been jailed for 12 years at Canterbury Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to one charge of grievous bodily harm and six charges of attempted GBH.
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The 25-year-old drove his silver Vauxhall Corsa at the crowd outside the pub in New Romney High Street on 24 November last year.
Bates deliberately drove his car into the crowd at 33 mph outside the 700 year old – just minutes after he had been removed by bar stuff.
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He claimed he had just split from his girlfriend and had been trying to commit suicide after snorting ketamine in the vehicle.
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Judge Simon James told him it was a miracle that no-one was seriously injured.
He added: You made a quite conscious decision to drive your vehicle at speed into deliberate collision with innocent people standing outside the pub.
This was an appalling incident where you used your car as a weapon with the intention of inflicting serious injury of multiple victims.
I have no doubt that this was done in revenge or retaliation.
Victim Matthew Lamb, a student and amateur footballer, suffered fractures to his left arm and right leg.
The judge said: Others were mercifully extremely lucky and avoided serious physical injury but that was only through simple good fortune.
Landlady Sharon Epps later told how she feared that her business partner and the landlord, father-of-four Kevin Gibbons – whose wife was pregnant at the time – had been killed or injured.
A Kent Police spokesman said: It hit the building by the front door, as well as a number of people who had been standing outside at the time.
Among the injuries reported, a man was hit directly by the car, suffering fractures to his leg and arm.
Minutes before, Bates had been removed from the bar by staff after he got into a number of altercations with other customers while drinking there.
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When arrested shortly after the collision, Bates told police he could not explain why he had driven at the crowd of people.”
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Detective Constable Chris Brett said: James Bates was seen to drive his car around the block in order to accelerate his car into the crowd of people standing outside the pub, showing this was a pre-meditated attack.
Considering the damage a car can cause, the people who were outside the pub at the time of the collision are fortunate their injuries were not worse.
Regardless of injury, to be targeted in such a frightening and unprovoked way can have wide-reaching detrimental effects on those involved.
I thank those who have assisted with and supported the investigation and subsequent prosecution.
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