Cyclist paralysed from waist down after driver deliberately ran him over and 'left him for dead'

A cyclist was left paralysed from the waist down after a driver deliberately knocked him down.

Steven Thomas was driving a stolen SUV when he ran down Kyler Brophy outside a Swansea supermarket before running off.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Thomas has a long history of offending involving motor vehicles.

At the time he ran the cyclist down, he was out of prison on licence following an incident which saw him crashing a stolen car into a vehicle containing a mum and her young children.

The prosecutor said Thomas, who was behind the wheel of a stolen Ford EcoSport SUV, appeared to be following an electric cycle being ridden by Kyler Brophy - the two men were described as "acquaintances" though not friends.

The court heard that as Mr Brophy approached the traffic lights at the entrance to Tesco, Thomas was seen to deliberately mount the pavement in the EcoSport and drive into the the cyclist.

Thomas then drove in an arc back onto the road with Mr Brophy and the bike trapped under the vehicle. The defendant then got out of the SUV, dislodged the bike from underneath the vehicle, and shouted "I will kill you" at Mr Brophy.

The 29-year-old defendant drove off but abandoned the vehicle a short distance away where he and an unknown passenger who was also in the Ford alighted and ran away.

The prosecutor said police were soon on the scene and found Mr Brophy lying "lifeless" half on the ground with his clothes "torn to shreds". The casualty was rushed to hospital suffering from a collapsed lung, rib fractures, lumbar spine fractures, and nerve injuries to his lower back.

Carina Hughes said as a result of the collision, Mr Brophy has been left paralysed from the waist down and will need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Steven Carl Thomas - who also goes by the name Steven Rice - had previously pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has 21 previous convictions for 47 offences, including multiple aggravated taking of vehicles, thefts from vehicles, fraud, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, handling stolen goods, offences of violence, criminal damage, being concerned in the production of cannabis, and possession of drugs.

Ian Wright, for Thomas, said the best mitigation he could put forward were the defendant's guilty pleas.

Judge Geraint Walters said on the day of the incident Thomas was out looking for Mr Brophy over some "perceived grievance" he had with him, the extract nature of which was not known to the court.

He said when he encountered his victim near the Tesco supermarket he was seen to pursue him along the road before driving at him, knocking him to the ground, and then "leaving him for dead".

He said it was clear from the contents of the pre-sentence report that Thomas took delight in his criminal exploits, and that he considered himself to be "the most accomplished car thief in the area" to whom the law did not apply.

Thomas was sentenced to nine years in prison.

He will serve two-thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was further disqualified from driving.