Surgeons had to rebuild a man’s left leg after he was hit by a car when the driver deliberately reversed at him after a confrontation about drugs in Dewsbury.
Almost a year on Richard Knowles still has 10 pins in his leg having already had five operations. The bones are still not healing properly.
Michael William Riley, 40, of Beacon Street, Ravensthorpe, was jailed for eight years after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Knowles.
David McGonigal, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court the incident happened after Mr Knowles and a friend Marc Rendle Wilson waited at the junction of Whitworth Road and Cemetery Road, Dewsbury, on November 23 last year to meet Riley.
Mr Wilson said he was planning to buy drugs from Riley and when he handed some money over to him through the car window he was given more than he should have been and when he made off with them was pursued in the car by Riley. A version disputed by Riley.
Mr McGonigal said Mr Wilson had rejoined Mr Knowles and when they went up a side street Riley reversed towards them. Mr Wilson had a wooden stick or bar which he passed over to Mr Knowles who threw it at the car coming towards him.
He believed it hit the bonnet but he was then struck by the front left side of the car causing him to go to the ground. He remembered being on his side trying to climb to a higher area but was dragged backwards by his leg.
He believed Riley then drove forward before reversing again. He tried to hide behind a lamp post which was damaged by the car. The next thing he remembered was hearing voices of people around him and the car had gone.
Mr Knowles was taken to hospital where he was found to have multiple fractures to his left leg and lumps and bruising to his right leg.
Mr McGonigal said as a schoolboy Mr Knowles had a plate inserted into his left leg and the bone had healed round it. Surgeons had to chip bone away to get it out and to rebuild the left leg from the ankle to the knee.
He is still walking with crutches because the bones in his leg are not setting properly and doctors do not know if it will heal. He has been told there is a possibility it might have to be amputated.
When Riley was arrested his explanation was that they had tried to rob him and he claimed he had to drive to get away from them. He said he was the one there to buy drugs and when he got out his money he claimed Mr Wilson tried to take it.
Kate Batty, for Riley, said he had acted under provocation and without pre-meditation but he appreciated a jail sentence was inevitable.
“He is a regular drug user so it is not going to be easy for him.”
Jailing Riley, Judge Neil Clark said there had clearly been some arrangement for a drug transaction but “what was really going on between you three men at the car makes very little difference.”
He said the serious aspect of the case was what followed when “you drove up a side street pursuing these two men. The effects were substantial for Mr Knowles, he has suffered severe injury to his left leg, the fractures have not healed and he has had major reconstructive surgery.
“You were deliberately using the car as a weapon and there was a degree of persistence since there were one or two manoeuvres as you reversed.”
