Carpet fitter with knife terrified four women in road rage incident near Ellesmere

Kenneth Phillip Howell-Walker had forced the women’s car to stop in an isolated area near Ellesmere after he had overtaken them in his van on a blind bend.

The 31-year-old’s behaviour left the four victims - including one who was pregnant - scared and upset.

Howell-Walker was given a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Recorder Roger Evans said the defendant had been involved in a “silly and foolish” piece of road rage.

“It was compounded by you getting out of your van to scare these ladies and using the knife. It was outrageous behaviour,” he said.

Howell-Walker, a self-employed carpet fitter, of Hillpark, Dudleston Heath, must also attend a rehabilitation programme and was fined £100 for careless driving. He had admitted the driving offence and being in possession of the craft knife in a public place at an earlier hearing.

The court heard the attack happened at about 11pm on September 19 last year on the B5068 Ellesmere to St Martins road near the ETC Saw Mills headquarters.

Eleanor Vaughan was driving her Vauxhall Corsa towards Dudleston Heath with her three passengers, Lauren Harris, Kirsty Howell and Carolyn Gatt, after an evening at the cinema.

Mr John R Oates, prosecuting, said the car was travelling at a modest speed on the country lane when the defendant’s VW panel van came up behind.

He said the car slowed as it approached a bend and the van lights were very close before it overtook on the bend, swerved and braked in front of the car and stopped.

“The defendant jumped out of the vehicle and was displaying a belligerent manner and came to the driver’s door and had the craft knife in his hand,” he said.

When Howell-Walker went back to his van Miss Vaughan followed and the victims were able to tell police where the van had gone. The defendant was later arrested.

Mr Oates said that in interviews the defendant had claimed the women were all lying about the driving and suggested they were drunk, but police were aware the victims had not been drinking.

He said the four women had all expressed how scared and upset they had been and had been put in fear by the late night incident.

The court heard that Howell-Walker had a previous conviction for assault and the rage road offence was in breach of a community order for a public order offence.

Mr Mark Connor, for Howell-Walker, said his client wanted to apologise and was remorseful and knew there was no excuse or justification for his behaviour. He said he had the craft knife because it was what he used in his profession and was not in the habit of carrying a knife.

Mr Connor said Howell-Walker had anger management issues and clearly has a temper that he must control and the case was a wake-up call for his client.