Blackpool van driver jailed for 8 years after deliberately running over man at motorway services

Marcus Knowles, 31, of St Walburgas Road, ran over the man at Leicester Forest East services on the M1 in June last year, seriously injuring him before driving off.

Paramedics found his victim, aged in his 40s, in the car park and he was taken to hospital with open fractures to his right tibia and fibula.

The bones in his leg had been shattered and he needed nails and screws surgically fitted to hold them together, said police.

The hit and run attack followed threats made to the victim earlier that year, with Knowles messaging the man on WhatsApp in February 2021, threatening to kill him.

Detectives learned that, on the day of the attack, Knowles had driven from Blackpool to carry out the hit and run attack, while the victim had travelled from North Wales to attend a Christian convention in the area.

The force said Knowles' van was discovered abandoned the following day, and officers later found him in Blackpool, trying to evade arrest by hiding in a caravan under a bed.

On Monday (March 28) at Leicester Crown Court, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

He was also banned from driving for eight years and seven months and was handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim for 15 years.

Det Cons Tom White, the investigating officer, said the attack left the man's leg "shattered" and has had a significant impact on his life.

"As a result of the collision, the bones in the victim’s leg were shattered,” he said, “and he now has nails and screws in them.”

The detective added: "It was clear that Knowles had been planning to cause serious injury to the victim for some time and that this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"He knew what he wanted to do. He then tried to evade officers but was soon found.

"I am pleased he has been brought to justice and is now serving a significant custodial sentence.”

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