Footballer accused of 'mowing kids down like skittles' in BMW following match
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=205963Court Reporter Liz Day
Tuesday 19th March 2019
Taylor denies all the charges against him.
Lee Taylor, 36, is on trial over an incident at North Cornelly playing fields on April 19 last year which left 11 teenagers in hospital
Lee Taylor denies all charges against him over the incident at the North Cornelly playing fields
A footballer allegedly mowed down a group of children "like skittles" using his BMW after "banter" at a match spilled into violence, a court heard.
Lee Taylor, 36, is on trial over an incident at a football ground car park that left 11 teenagers needing hospital treatment.
He is standing trial at Newport Crown Court where he is accused of driving a BMW dangerously and injuring the young people following a match between Cornelly FC and Margam FC in which finished 5-0 to Cornelly.
The incident occurred just before 8pm on Thursday, April 19, last year at Meadow Street in North Cornelly, near Bridgend.
Opening the case prosecutor Christopher Rees said the defendant "used his car as a weapon to drive at a group of young people" and “mowed them down like skittles in a bowling alley” in a "terrifying incident".
Taylor denies dangerous driving and 11 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm as well as alternatives of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He is represented by Nicola Powell. The trial, which is before Judge Daniel Williams and is expected to last for two weeks, continues.
How day one of the trial unfolded:
15:53
Alleged victim denies he was one of 'the aggressors'
Ms Powell, for Taylor, suggested complainant Mr Busby was one of “the aggressors”.
Mr Busby said that was not the case.
Ms Powell put it to the witness Taylor “stepped in” to try and stop a fight. The witness replied: “No.”
NP: I suggest to you at no point was he [Taylor] being aggressive to you. In fact, it was the other way around. You were the aggressors.
EB: No we weren’t.
Mr Busby told the police he had never seen the defendant before.
That is the end of his evidence.
The case will resume at 10.30am tomorrow.
15:46
'Chaos, people on the floor'
Ms Powell, for Taylor, asked witness Evan Busby if he accepted there was “chaos”.
He replied: “Oh yeah, chaos, people on the floor.”
Ms Powell suggested there was “a lot of confusion” and asked the witness if he could have misinterpreted the defendant’s actions as “chasing”.
The witness said he did not believe he had misinterpreted the situation.
Mr Busby agreed the incident happened very quickly and was over in “a couple of minutes”.
Ms Powell then suggested her client’s car was “surrounded” by youths. Mr Busby said that was not the case.
Questioned about what happened to the BMW’s wing mirror, he replied: “I did not see anyone do anything to the wing mirror.”
NP: I suggest to you that was being ripped off as the incident was happening in the car park?
EB: No.
Mr Busby is now being asked questions about photographs of the car, starting with the windscreen. He confirmed he saw someone punching the windscreen during the incident.
15:24
Taylor says he drove onto field to turn around parked car
Mr Busby said the defendant’s car went on to the grass after hitting him.
Ms Powell confirmed her client accepts that his car went on to the playing field briefly to turn around a parked car.
Mr Busby said two individuals had to run down a lane to get away from the BMW. He said the defendant was “chasing” them.
NP: If I was to say to you that the car did not chase anyone at all... I am suggesting to you that didn’t happen.
EB: Well it did.
15:18
'I thought he was just trying to scare us'
Taylor’s barrister Nicola Powell suggested some individuals followed him in the car park.
Mr Busby said that was not the case.
Mr Busby said he saw Taylor reverse out of his parking space.
Ms Powell asked: “Did you see that yourself?” The witness confirmed he did.
Nicola Powell (NP): You say you heard the car revving. Did you see it coming at you?
Evan Busby (EB): It all happened too fast. I thought he was just trying to scare us.
NP: When did you see the car first? Did you see the car?
EB: Yeah.
NP: How far away was it?
EB: It was just reversing out of the space.
NP: When did you next see it?
EB: It was coming.
NP: And then you were hit?
EB: Yeah.
NP: So it hits you and then goes on to the grass?
EB: Yeah.
15:13
Claim one of complainants 'had score to settle'
Nicola Powell, for Lee Taylor, is now asking witness Mr Busby questions.
She suggested some people there “wanted his [Taylor’s] blood”. Mr Busby disagreed.
Ms Powell asked: “I’m right in saying it all kicked off, didn’t it?”
The witness replied: “Not necessarily.”
Ms Powell suggested one of the complainants “had a score to settle” and was “egged on”.
The witness responded: “Not really.”
Ms Powell suggested her client was trying to make sure there was “a fair fight”.
Mr Busby replied: “He got involved with straight threats.”
14:56
Mr Busby describes his injuries
Witness Mr Busby said his phone fell out of his pocket during the collision but he retrieved it and phoned the police.
The court heard police and ambulance attended the scene.
Mr Busby said he later went to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
Asked about his injuries he said: “I broke my hand. Bruising on my arm, my leg. I had a little lump on my eye.”
The jury are now being shown photographs of his injuries taken by the police.
Mr Busby said: “You can see just under my right eye, there’s a bit of a lump, a swelling.”
He also suffered grazing and scratching to the back of his leg.
The witness said the car hit him to his leg.
Mr Busby told the court he got an injury to his hand by punching the car window.
14:54
'I wanted to stop him'
Prosecutor Christopher Rees is asking witness Evan Busby what happened next.
CR: What happened to the car? What did you next see?
EB: I was on the floor at this point but the car did go on to the grass and chased two boys.
CR: Where did it go on to the grass?
Mr Busby is showing the jury the route taken by the car by pointing at a photograph.
CR: What did you do next?
EB: I tried the passenger door to get in or whatever. I started punching the passenger window.
CR: Why did you approach the car?
EB: He was using the car as a weapon. I wanted to stop him hurting anyone else.
CR: What did Taylor do?
EB: He approached me. I was down into a headlock. He was gouging my eye. He had his thumb and he was gouging my eye.
CR: Were you able to break free of his grip?
EB: I was struggling.
14:49
'I heard revving and wheels spinning'
Witness Evan Busby said he was standing in front of the changing rooms when the incident happened.
Mr Rees asked: “What is the next thing that happened?”
The witness replied: “I noticed that he [Taylor] had reversed out of his parking space.
“His car was facing towards the changing rooms then.
“I heard the engine revving and wheels spinning.
“The noise of a car accelerating. The sound of tyres on concrete. The car came towards us.”
Christopher Rees (CR): Did the car strike you?
Evan Busby (EB): Yeah.
CR: Where did it strike you?
EB: The thigh area.
CR: Did you see which part of the car struck you?
EB: The front, maybe the grill.
CR: What effect did it have on you?
EB: It sort of bounced me on to the floor. I sort of slid across the floor.
14:37
First alleged victim giving evidence
The jury are back in court.
Prosecutor Christopher Rees will now call the first witness, Evan Busby. Mr Busby is one of the alleged victims.
He was 17 at the time of the incident and is 18 now.
Mr Rees is referring to the plan and some photographs in the jury bundle.
The witness is pointing out the changing rooms and the car park.
Mr Rees asked if the witness saw anything “of note” while the match was happening. The witness replied he did not.
Mr Busby said he overheard the defendant say “I’ll eat you, you little c***” to another complainant.
The witness is pointing out on the map where Taylor’s car was parked - next to a floodlight.
13:06
Taylor said he was called 'fatty'
Police attended the scene at around 8pm.
Officers went to the Sandfields area of Port Talbot, where Taylor lived.
The defendant replied to caution: “I wasn’t going to stay and take a kicking.”
Mr Rees said the complainants attended hospital and added: “It is by sheer good fortune that the injuries were not more serious than they were.”
In his police interview Taylor said he was playing for Margam.
He said he was called “fatty” by one of the boys.
Taylor said a youth jumped on his car and said he thought he was going “to get a kicking”.
Mr Rees said his account was very different from the accounts of the witnesses.
The defendant was shown the mobile phone footage and said he did not remember a second “scuffle”.
Mr Rees said: “He drove deliberately at these boys.”
“The prosecution say the defendant got into his car to drive at the group because he had lost his temper.
“He knocked them down like skittles.
“The prosecution say the defendant is responsible for driving at these young men deliberately.”
The hearing will now break for lunch.
12:59
Jurors shown footage of the aftermath
Mr Rees said a 12-year-old girl witnessed the incident.
“She saw a group of boys being struck. She was able to record the aftermath of it.”
A dog walker saw the car “ploughing into” the group. The court heard the vehicle came to a stop.
Mr Rees is now playing the 12-year-old girl’s mobile phone footage.
“We can see, there is the defendant’s BMW. We can see a group of people here.
“The defendant is the stocky gentleman with the black top on.
“We can just see the defendant’s car leaving the car park. The defendant fleeing, no doubt, before the police arrive at the scene.
“When the car stopped in the car park Taylor got out of the car.”
The court heard there was “a fight” and the defendant used his thumb to “gouge” a complainant’s eye.
Prosecutors said Taylor then drove away “at speed”.
12:55
Boy aged 14 'thought he was going to die'
One complainant described the car’s “wheels spinning” and “engine racing”.
The impact caused him to fall backwards 6ft.
Another complainant “heard screaming” and “saw the BMW coming directly at him”.
Mr Rees said: “He closed his eyes at this point. He felt his body make contact with the grass floor.”
The court heard some complainants went on to the bonnet of the car.
One complainant said he was “scared and speechless”.
Another was struck by the car, “causing him to be lifted off his feet”. The court heard his face hit the windscreen.
Mr Rees said a witness described the scene as “carnage”.
The youngest complainant was 14, he said he was “frozen in fear” and “thought he was going to die”.
Mr Rees said: “He was lying face down on the bonnet.”
12:51
'Mowed them down like skittles in a bowling alley'
Prosecutors said Taylor said: “Do you want to go?”
The court heard Taylor walked back to him BMW, got into the car and reversed out of his parking space.
Mr Rees said there were school children in the area.
He added: “The prosecution say Taylor got into his car, pointed the nose of the vehicle at the group of young persons, revved and raced his engine, his wheels spun, and drove at speed [towards them].”
Mr Rees said he “mowed them down like skittles in a bowling alley”.
He added: “It was, the prosecution say, a terrifying incident.”
12:48
Young person provoked by 'banter'
Mr Rees said: “The prosecution bring the case, the prosecution have to prove the case.
“The prosecution case is that at 6pm on April 19, Cornelly Football Club were hosting a match against Margam Football Club.
“The defendant Lee Taylor was playing in the football match for Margam.
“There were around 30 to 40 spectators at the game, most of them young persons.”
The court heard one spectator was “giving out banter” to the Margam players.
The prosecutor said they were two adult teams and Taylor was an adult playing for Margam. Cornelly won the match.
Afterwards a group of young people began to congregate around the changing room.
Mr Rees said there was “banter” which provoked one of the young people.
“The confrontation was looking like it might escalate towards something more serious, a fight,” said the prosecutor.
12:44
Jury shown photos of injuries
The prosecutor is now handing out photographs of individuals who were injured.
The young people who were injured in the incident cannot be named for legal reasons.
Mr Rees is pointing out injuries to one individual’s leg and back.
The jury now get photographs of a second individual who was injured.
This person suffered a mark to his face, injuries to his ankle and foot.
12:40
Defendant's BMW car damaged
Now the jury are given maps of the scene. The incident happened in North Cornelly.
There’s an aerial view with the sports pavilion and car park marked on.
Mr Rees hands out some more photographs, this time of the defendant’s car - a grey BMW.
There is an image of the BMW with damage to the windscreen, which was allegedly caused during the incident. Mr Rees points out the wing mirror is also missing.
12:35
Tyre tracks visible on the grass
Mr Rees is now handing out some more documents to the jury.
There are photographs of the scene at Cornelly Football Club.
He said: “This is the scene of the incident on April 19.”
The first image shows a car parking area with the football pitch beyond it.
He is pointing out tyre tracks on the grass.
“You can see tyre tracks on the football pitch,” said Mr Rees.
12:32KEY EVENT
Accused 'used his car as a weapon'
Prosecutor Christopher Rees will now open the case.
He is handing out the indictment to the jury. This contains the counts faced by Taylor.
He said: “There are a lot of charges but the incident, the matters you will be considering, are actually quite simple.”
He said the counts can be grouped together.
“There were, in total, 11 persons who were, the prosecution say, victims of the defendant’s behaviour.
“We say the defendant used his car as a weapon to drive at a group of young people.
“He caused injury to 11 people in the group he drove at.”
12:29
Jury given directions by judge
Judge Williams told the jury they must try the defendant just on the evidence they see and hear in the courtroom.
He said they should not talk about the case to family and friends and they must ignore press reports.
The jury are told they must not tweet about the case or post about it on Facebook.
Judge Williams tells the jury they should only talk about the case when all 12 of them are together.
12:22
Taylor denies all charges
The defendant is charged with driving a BMW dangerously in the car park for the playing fields of Meadow Street, North Cornelly, on April 19 last year.
He faces 11 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and alternatives of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Taylor denies all the charges against him.
12:15
Jury being selected
The usher is bringing a jury panel into court.
Judge Daniel Williams is apologising for keeping them waiting.
Lee Taylor is in the dock. He is wearing a white shirt and black tie.
The judge said: “This case is concerned with events that took place on April 19 last year.
“It is an allegation the defendant drove dangerously and caused injuries to a number of people. It is an allegation the defendant denies.”
Nicola Powell, for Taylor, said he is from the Sandfields area of Port Talbot.
The jurors are now being selected. The jury is made up of five men and seven women. They are now taking the oath or affirmation.
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