Two 'violent thugs' jailed for attacking man with air freshener and bricks, then running him over

Two "violent thugs" who attacked someone with bricks and ran him over in their car have been jailed.

Ryan O’Leary and Darnell Smith got into a confrontation with the man before launching a violent attack in the Biscot area of Luton in November 2020.

After getting in their car to leave, O’Leary and Smith got back out and sprayed the man in the eyes with air freshener.

O’Leary and Smith chased him in the street and threw bricks at him. When the victim was on the floor, the pair ran him over before driving off.

The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries but has since made a full recovery, said Bedfordshire Police.

Bedfordshire Police found the car involved shortly afterwards and identified O’Leary’s handprint on another car from the scene.

At around the same time, two men phoned the victim and attempted to intimidate him.

Police were able to link the number this call was made from to Smith. This phone was also identified as having been at the scene when the attack took place.

O’Leary, 30, of Brussels Way, Luton, and Smith, 23, of Whipperley Ring, Luton, pleaded and were found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm respectively.

On 1 February at Luton Crown Court, both men were branded "dangerous offenders" by the judge in the case.

Smith was handed an eight-year prison sentence with an extended licence period on top of that of three years.

He will serve an additional year in prison after pleading guilty to separate drugs supply offences, taking his total jail term to nine years.

O’Leary was sentenced to spend six years and nine months in prison, and will spend an extended two years and three months on licence.

He was also handed a one-year jail term for dangerous driving, which will be served concurrently, and has been disqualified from driving for more than seven years.

Det Con Bill Haigh from Bedfordshire Police said: “This is truly shocking violence which could have had even more serious consequences for the victim.

“O’Leary and Smith have used bricks and even their vehicle as weapons. This kind of behaviour is mindless, dangerous and without a shred of human decency.

“These prison sentences and extended licence periods recognise the severity of this awful offending.

“Men capable of this kind of violence should not be out on the streets and we’ll work tirelessly to put such violent thugs behind bars.”

It was one of the biggest news stories of our time - and it's still not over. So what did Boris Johnson know about Downing Street’s notorious parties?

With fresh revelations from our Number 10 sources, in their own words, listen to the inside story...