Van driver tried to kill neighbour by mowing him down on pavement in Kent

A van driver who deliberately ploughed into his neighbour in a long-running land dispute has been jailed for 15 years for attempted murder.

Charles Wood was driving along Rye Road in the Sandhurst area of Cranbrook on 2 March 2020 when he spotted the man in his 60s walking nearby.

He used his van to mount the pavement, mowing down his victim, leaving him with a bleed on the brain and a broken back and ribs.

Emergency services were called to the scene and the victim was rushed to hospital where he spent several months recovering.

Witnesses described seeing a silver panel van being driven in the area moments before the crash. Wood's van was identified a short time later parked outside his home with damage to its windscreen and bonnet.

The 59-year-old was found the next day and arrested.

Wood denied doing anything wrong at Maidstone Crown Court and claimed he had no memory of the crash because of a head injury he'd sustained after falling from a ladder.

A jury found him guilty of attempted murder and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday (13 April).

Wood will have to serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence and will also be disqualified from driving for 12 years and six months on his release. 

Detective Chief Inspector Garry Cook, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Wood used his van as a weapon and his actions left his elderly victim suffering a number of appalling injuries.

"It is only by chance that the victim survived this unprovoked assault, although there is little doubt these serious injuries will have a profound and long-lasting effect.

"As well as the lasting physical scars the impact of this crime will likely have a significant psychological impact on the victim for the rest of their life.

"I only hope today’s sentence will provide some closure and reassurance that at least justice has now been served."