Innocent father-of-one, 27, had leg torn off when father and son crushed him with Range Rover over mistaken identity
Sean Wootten, 27, came out of his house in Etches Close in Bournemouth, Dorset, on October 7 last year, when he heard a commotion caused by Vinny Morgan, 21, and his father Conrad, 55.
The violent pair were after his neighbour who they claimed had damaged their property.
Mr Wootten stepped into the darkened street wearing a hoodie, and the pair misidentified him as his neighbour, a court heard.
Vinny Morgan then drove towards him in the 4x4 with his father in the passenger seat.
Mr Wootten jumped out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, but Vinny Morgan simply reversed the Range Rover and drove at him a second time.
After hitting him, Mr Wootten was pinnned up against a garden wall by the vehicle and left screaming in agony.
Witnesses and medics found him with his left leg 'more or less' amputated above the knee, and with a piece of the Range Rover's wheel trim embedded in his leg.
A critical care doctor had to remove the limb at the scene before the 27-year-old was flown to hospital and kept in a coma in intensive care. He is now in a wheelchair and has had to give up his job as a mechanic.
Hours later the Morgans' home was targeted in a revenge 'fire bomb' attack. They called the police but were instead arrested for the hit-and-run on Mr Wootten.
Vinny Morgan has now been jailed for 13 years and six months for grievous bodily harm, having been previously cleared of attempted murder.
His 55-year-old father was found guilty of conspiracy to commit affray and sentenced to nine months in prison, which he has already served while on remand awaiting trial.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard the Morgans had been looking for neighbour Joshua Lovell after blaming him for damaging Vinny Morgan's Suzuki Vitara car.
Just before they turnd up Mr Lovell had parked a Range Rover with the engine running in Etches Close.
The Morgans attacked him with metal bats, prompting Mr Lovell to run off and Vinny Morgan to drive after him in the Range Rover.
Sean Wilken KC, prosecuting, told a previous hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court: 'Sean Wootten had heard the noises of the fracas going on. He had been in a flat with his girlfriend Tara Redpath.
'He went to see what was happening. His timing was terrible because he was about to cross the road just as Vinny Morgan drove back into Etches Close in the Range Rover.
'He came flying around the corner driving straight for Sean Wootten. He made no effort to slow down or avoid him. Mr Wootten had to jump out of the way and he managed to avoid being hit.
'However, his luck was to run out. Mr Wootten knew Joshua Lovell and thinking it was him driving the Range Rover he shouted out, "Josh it's me" to try and get the Range Rover to stop.
'He couldn't see who was driving because of the headlights.
'Mr Wootten managed to make it to the pavement and thought he was safe. But Vinny Morgan had other plans.
'Having just missed him he reversed the Range Rover back and accelerated the short distance to where Mr Wootten was now standing. He made a deliberate decision to drive straight at him.
'CCTV captured the screams of cries as it happened. One of his legs was more or less amputated by the impact of the Range Rover.'
Mr Wilken said a police officer described that he saw the left leg torn above the knee, bones could be seen and his leg had been all but amputated.
He added: 'Medical treatment [was given] at the scene and [the] doctor decided to amputate. Part of the wheel trim was embedded in what remains of Mr Wootten's leg.'
In his victim impact statement Mr Wootten said his life had been ruined.
He said: 'I can no longer do simple things with my family that I took for granted. 'I don't like going out in public because people stare at me and you never know what is going to happen. I break down in tears most days.
'I get flashbacks all the time, I see the car coming at me and relive the moment. I lost control of my life, I lost everything that day.'
The court also heard a statement from his partner Tara Redpath, who described running down the stairs holding her daughter, to find him sat 'in a pool of his own blood'.
She said: 'Every time I close my eyes, or see a Range Rover, I relive it over and over again. I see Sean sat there looking at his leg. I can constantly hear his scream, a scream I had never heard before that night.'
Paul Walker, representing Vinny Morgan, said his client had made good use of his time in prison with real prospects for employment when released.
He added: 'I urge your honour to give this man some light at the end of what will be a lengthy custodial tunnel.'
But Judge William Mousley KC did not accept Morgan had shown remorse.
He said Morgan had tried to claim Mr Wootten was armed and threatened him with a dangerous weapon with 'not a hint of any kind of regret if this was a case of mistaken identity'.
Judge Mousley said: 'You decided to go looking for a man called Joshua Lovell, and any associates he may have with him, to attack and injure him.
'There was bad feeling between you. You had unwanted visitors at your address previously and damage had been caused.
'Sean Wootten heard a noise from the street and it concerned him sufficiently he thought he ought to investigate.
'He was unarmed but had his hood up, which meant he was not immediately recognisable.
'I am sure that you intended at least to scare him and possibly hit him at that point. Whether that was because you thought he had something to do with Joshua Lovell's behaviour, it is not entirely clear whether you knew who your target was.'
He said Mr Wootten was 'entirely innocent'.
Vinny Morgan was found guilty of GBH, conspiracy to commit affray and possession of an offensive weapon in public.
Conrad Morgan, a builder, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit affray and possession of an offensive weapon in public and sentenced to nine months in prison.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Victim of catfish predator Max Hollingsbee: ‘I will always be angry at him for taking my innocence away'
A victim of prolific catfish offender Max Hollingsbee has said she will always be angry that he stole her innocence. A complaint made by Immy (not her real name) led police to discover a litany of sex offences against other teenage girls committed by Hollingsbee. Immy has said she now wants to use her experiences to help other victims. Hollingsbee, 21, of Orient Circle, Lurgan, was sentenced in May to five years and two months after admitting scores of child sexual abuse crimes against girls. He had pleaded guilty to some 42 charges with 14 victims identified. Immy, from the Surrey area, was 15 when she met Hollingsbee, who was using a fake profile, through the Wizz app three years ago. She said: 'He presented himself as being 16 and male. There were photographs which I know now weren't him. 'At the time I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought you could only talk to people within a certain age range and you had to prove your age. 'We just had normal conversations. I was quite vulnerable at the time. It is an age where you want boys to like you, you want them to show interest in you. He was and he made me feel special, he made me feel seen. 'Now I now it was all part of his plan.' She added: 'Once he had built up the trust I added him on my Snapchat. He started with more compliments, flattery, things like that. 'At 15 years old that is all a girl wants to hear. He knew that and he definitely played on that vulnerability.' The situation escalated quickly with Hollingsbee demanding that Immy send him explicit photographs. She said: 'He would give me very specific instructions. I didn't like it but I didn't know how to say no. I wasn't confident enough to say no. 'I didn't want him to stop talking to me and I didn't want him to stop giving me that attention. 'I did send photos. I obviously regret that but I've never been made to feel embarrassed and I've never been made to feel that it was my fault.' Hollingsbee then attempted to blackmail the teenager, stating he would share the photographs with other people she knew if she did not send more. He did share the images with one of Immy's female friends. At this point she told her mother what was happening. She said: 'That was very scary for me. I was in such a state of panic it was like I blacked out, I was there and I was talking to my mum but I've no idea what I said to her. 'I showed her what was going on and just remember crying in a ball on the floor of her room.' Once police were alerted, Hollingsbee was arrested in Northern Ireland and his devices seized, leading to the discovery of the other victims. Thousands of photos and videos of underage girls performing sexual acts were found on his devices, obtained by blackmail or by hacking their social media accounts. Immy also helped police to track him down. He had given her his phone number and she used to BeReal app to discover his true profile and name. Immy said: 'Finding out there were so many other girls who hadn't said anything was the most gut-wrenching feeling in the entire world because I couldn't imagine not being able to tell someone. 'That was the hardest part, they were sitting at home so scared, so terrified and I knew how they felt because I had been there. 'Knowing they were so scared on their own was the worst feeling. Quite a few of them were younger than me.' She added: 'I am angry, I will always be angry at him for doing that to me and taking my innocence away from me. 'That is what he did. He played on my vulnerability, played on my weaknesses. I was so used and no 15-year-old should ever have to deal with a man like that ever. 'Kids do make mistakes. It is important I am able to talk about it because they need someone their age to say it could happen to you. It can happen. If you don't feel you have got the support at home, the police will take action. They did everything they way I hoped they would.' Immy said she hopes Hollingsbee is able to confront the impact of his actions when he is released from prison. She said: 'I would be happy knowing that he sees the wrong he did. 'I have made a lot of effort to not let it change my outlook about people. 'Not everyone is like that, he is a very specific type of person. But it did take a big toll, I am not as trusting as I used to be. 'But I have stopped a lot of people, I hope, from having to deal with him.' Immy is hoping to study psychology at university and to use her experiences to help other victims. She said: 'I want to be able to go into schools and work with kids, using my experience to make something good. 'I think it is so important that I make something good out of a bad situation. 'I am hoping I will be able to make a difference.'
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Minority Report-style map of Britain that aims to stop criminals before they strike by identifying local areas most at risk is being developed by experts
Experts are creating an AI-driven crime map of England and Wales that aims to stop criminals before they strike. The Government today announced a £4million investment in the futuristic project, which will use official data to identify local areas that are likely to see criminal activity, such as knife offences and anti-social behaviour. Police will then target these locations with extra resources, including patrols and visits to the homes of convicted criminals, in the hope of intervening before any offences take place. Peter Kyle, Science and Technology Secretary, said the project would draw on data from police, councils and social services, including criminal records, previous offence reports and the behavioural patterns of known offenders. The Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge will see experts from universities and businesses tasked with creating the model with the aim of making it operational across England and Wales by 2030. 'We want to identify areas that have a higher probability of experiencing crime,' Mr Kyle told the Daily Mail during a visit to the Met's central communications command centre. 'That means police can ensure officers are in the area and are able to prevent these crimes happening in the first place or respond before they escalate. 'The Met and other forces have an enormous amount of data on historic and emerging crime. By using that - and incorporating data from other authorities such as local councils - the model can become more accurate as time passes.' AI can identify patterns and links in evidence and sift through data more quickly than humans. Civil liberties campaigners have previously raised ethical concerns about the use of algorithms to try to predict crimes in advance. But Mr Kyle said the government's crime map would only use official data and not information from private sources, such as social media. He insisted any interventions police make based on the map's findings would be subject to 'human oversight' and insisted the system was merely an extension of traditional policing methods. 'Police forces throughout history have always looked at individuals who are committing crime and patterns of behaviour that indicate they will commit crime again - this is not new,' he said. 'But in an era where we are able to use digital technology and data to assist in that process we can't ignore the power of that technology to keep us all safe. 'This will be one tool alongside many others that crime fighters use. Human oversight and respect for the experience of senior officers will always remain at the forefront. 'We will not be using digital technology to blindly identify individuals on a vague probability. That is not what we are talking about.' The initial £4m investment aims to deliver a series of initial prototypes by April 2026. My Kyle spoke to the Daily Mail on a visit to the Met's Central Command Communications Centre in Lambeth, where he also viewed other tech innovations including 'first responder' drones. The gadgets, which will be deployed in London in October, can be sent to the scene of emergency incidents in minutes to give officers an overview of the situation and gather evidence. The Mail also saw a demonstration of a smaller device that can be used to search buildings for hazards, such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), before they are raided by armed police. Mr Kyle also viewed a van fitted with facial recognition cameras, which are already used in London and are now being rolled out across seven police forces – Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire. According to officials, the technology has already been used to make 580 arrests in London over the last year, including 52 registered sex offenders. Campaign group Big Brother Watch claimed the move 'represents a significant expansion of the surveillance state.' But the government maintains the technology will only be used to catch 'high–harm' offenders with rules to ensure 'safeguards and oversight'. 'What we are doing is ensuring that those people who are known perpetrators of crime are found, identified and brought to justice so they can't commit more crimes,' said Mr Kyle. 'People should be reassured that we keep people's digital information safe and secure and always act appropriately. Anyone who is not identified by these cameras has their data immediately and permanently deleted. 'There are criminals out there using data and digital technology to commit crimes. It would be absurd to suggest we don't use this technology to keep people safe.' This week, the Home Office said every community across England and Wales had now been assigned a 'named, contactable' officer to handle reports of crimes such as anti-social behaviour. Their details will be made available for residents on their local force's website, it is understood. The pledge was made as part of the Government's previously announced Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, under which forces have committed to respond to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Police officers sacked after man dies in custody
Two police officers have been sacked for gross misconduct over the way they dealt with a suspected drunk driver who was arrested and later died. A disciplinary panel found the actions of Pc Grant Mackenzie and Pc Dean Hunkin, from Devon & Cornwall Police, amounted to gross misconduct – and they were dismissed without notice on Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. It follows the death of Stephen Reardon, who was arrested on July 13, 2023 in St Austell, Cornwall, on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs and failing to provide a sample of breath. The officers had appeared before a misconduct panel accused of breaching the standards appropriate to the conduct of a police officer in respect of the exercise of their duties and responsibilities in relation to Mr Reardon. The IOPC said he was handcuffed and put in the back of a police van for the journey to Newquay Police Station. He became unwell during the trip. Officers gave him first-aid in the yard of the station after he arrived at the custody unit. He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident was immediately referred by the force and an independent IOPC investigation was held, along with this week's misconduct hearing. The panel ruled that Pc Mackenzie be dismissed without notice and Pc Hunkin would have been dismissed without notice if had he still been a serving police officer. Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Reardon who have our utmost sympathy. 'Through their actions, the officers undermined public trust and confidence in the force and did not fulfil their duties and responsibilities towards Mr Reardon. 'Devon & Cornwall Police made an immediate referral to the IOPC following this incident and has fully co-operated with the subsequent independent investigation. 'Due to Mr Reardon's forthcoming inquest, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.' Both officers are to be banned from policing as their details will be submitted to the College of Policing Barred List, the IOPC said.
