Two men sentenced for deliberately running over NHS worker

Two men who ran over Katungua Tjitendero as he was walking home from work at Southmead Hospital in Bristol have been jailed for a total of 14-and-a-half years.

Patrick James, 22, of Broadlands Drive in Avonmouth, and Phillip Adams, 26, of Eastleigh Road in Southmead were found guilty of conspiracy to cause intentional grievous bodily harm on Friday.

The pair had denied the charge and were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court this morning (30 September).

James was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison and Adams, in his absence, to six years having failed to appear in court. A warrant has been issued for Adams’ arrest and conversations have been held with the National Crime Agency to arrange his extradition from Dubai.

Mr Tjitendero, then 21, was walking home from work at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, when he was struck from behind by a car on Monks Park Avenue at 4.30pm on Wednesday 22 July 2020.

Two men ran from the car, with one of them shouting a racially abusive term at Mr Tjitendero.

The court heard that members of the public rushed to help Katungua. The car had pinned him against a wall which was partly demolished in the impact.

He was taken to the hospital – where both he and his mother Hivaka work – for emergency treatment to injuries including facial wounds, a broken nose, a fractured right leg and lacerations to both his legs.

A statement read out on behalf of Hivaka outside court following today’s sentencing described the impact the attack had had on her son and her family.

It said: “We are very mindful that this cowardly attack, during which the worst racist abuse was shouted at Katungua, has impacted on all of us – family, friends, community, city, nation and beyond.

“It has been a long journey and our family would like to thank everyone who came to Katungua’s aid.”

Her statement added: “Lastly, we love our lives, we love each other and we love living in Bristol. We love Bristol’s diversity, its art, its music, its sense of humour and decency, and its people.

“And we will continue to enjoy our lives in Bristol.

“We feel nothing but pity for the hate filled inadequate people that carried out this cowardly attack, for they and those like them have nothing to offer but hate.”

The subsequent police investigation found James had bought the blue Honda Accord involved in the collision the previous week and CCTV footage showed him using it over the following days.

Adams’ DNA was found in the car and he told officers he had been in the car at times. Both men denied driving or being in the vehicle when it crashed in Monks Park Road.

Evidence recovered from James’ mobile phone provided footage, filmed from inside a car, showing it being driven up onto a pavement to knock a cyclist – Julian Ford – off his bike, and failing to stop at the scene.

It happened on Sunday 12 July in Broadlands Drive, Lawrence Weston. Mr Ford suffered fractured ribs and had air and blood in his chest cavity, leading to a lengthy stay in hospital.

James filmed this attack and he can be heard in video shown in court laughing before they hit him and afterwards as they drove off.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Macmillan said Mr Tjitendero was a key worker, working for the NHS in the early stages of the pandemic when he was attacked.

She said: “This was a terrible thing to do to another person, let alone to celebrate it,” adding that Adams “did not have the courage to come to court” for his sentence.

Detective Superintendent Mike Buck, who led the investigation into the attack on Katungua, said: “A callous disregard was shown for the victims’ wellbeing who suffered really significant injuries.

“They were deliberately driven at in horrendous attacks and it’s absolutely right that both men have today been handed lengthy prison sentences for their actions.

“The support of both Mr Ford and Mr Tjitendero and his family over the past four years has been invaluable and I’d again like to thank them for their patience while the investigation progressed.”