An "immature" man crashed his car into pub drinkers after a fight caused him to panic. As Mason Coray tried to drive off he left a passenger door open and it struck at least two people.
Coray, who had been banned from driving just four months earlier, got behind the wheel of his Audi Q2 on July 8 in the car park of Llanharan's Bryncae Arms. The 24-year-old injured two men, Ben Gayle and Ashley Webber, who were attempting to break up a brawl. He also appeared to knock down a woman, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Meirion Davies told the court: "Special constable Rhys Taylor was off duty and enjoying the premises' hospitality with his wife when he saw the car being parked. A short time later he heard the sound of females arguing and describes one of the females as having been a passenger in the car. The girls became involved in a scrap and males started fighting near the passenger side of the Audi. It's not suggested that this defendant is one of those males.
Read next: 'The man who murdered my only child walked past me moments after killing her'
"While this was going on around the car, the defendant reversed three to four metres. The passenger door was open and struck either Mr Webber or Mr Gayle. The other was then knocked to the floor."
The court heard that Coray also appeared to knock down an unknown woman. Mr Taylor ran to the car and opened the driver's door while Coray was attempting to drive away. He grabbed hold of Coray and shouted: "Get out of the f***ing car." Mr Taylor identified himself as a police special but Coray replied: "No you're not, show me your badge."
The special constable forcibly restrained Coray on the floor before colleagues arrived. Mr Gayle and Mr Webber said they had been trying to break up a fight when they were hit by the car. They were both bruised and one suffered a sprained ankle. "The men got away luckily without suffering a more serious injury," said the prosecutor.
Coray, of Clos Glas Llwch in Trowbridge, Cardiff, was sentenced in court on Monday after admitting dangerous driving, two counts of causing actual bodily harm (ABH), and driving while banned and without insurance. He had been disqualified in March for drink-driving.
The defendant, who has cystic fibrosis and Crohn's disease, had got the car through the Motability scheme because of his disability. His lawyer Matthew Thomas said driving while banned was a "very foolish decision", adding: "He does it with some peer pressure to be included as part of the gang. None of his friends talked him out of it. When they got there it was all kicking off. He didn't get involved and initially protected himself by shutting the car door. He initially reversed slowly then sped up towards the end."
Mr Thomas said Coray's lips had been "going a funny colour" as he was restrained, so the special constable released him. Coray could easily have then left the scene but he waited for police to arrive and arrest him, staying to "face the music", Mr Thomas added.
The lawyer described Coray as "an immature 24-year-old" who cannot read or write, having missed out on much of his schooling due to illness. He said the judge should not class the car as a "weapon" because "there would have to be an intention behind it rather than a panic from the defendant to get away from the scene".
The judge, Recorder Robin Rouch, told Coray: "I accept on the basis of your plea that you panicked and reversed out of there, not being able to go forward due to a wall. The passenger door was out and struck people."
Recorder Rouch accepted that Coray was immature for his age and remorseful. He imposed a 30-week jail term suspended for 18 months and a two-month curfew between 8pm and 7am. The judge also banned Coray from driving for 14 months and handed him a £187 victim services surcharge. You can read more of the latest Welsh court news here.
READ NEXT:
'Jekyll and Hyde' man leaves mum with 'ugly' injury after she took him in
Biker has lower leg amputated after horrific crash on his birthday
Four paddleboarders who died in Welsh river tragedy 'were not told of risks'
Scandal-hit police force slammed for refusing to release video of officer hitting man in bar
Singer claims police got into his car in Cardiff and punched him as he 'feared for his life'
