Pair beat up teenage driver who accidentally over-revved his car

Social media rumours about what had happened in St Martins, near Oswestry, fuelled the anger of Francis Williams who drove to find the 18-year-old driver of the car and challenged him, punching and kicking him.

He was joined by Adam Shaw who threw the victim to the ground.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday Williams, 37, of Ellesmere Road, St Martins, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £1,075 compensation and £340 costs.

Shaw, 33, of Greenfield Street, St Martins, was ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and pay £875 compensation and £535 costs. Both were ordered not to contact the teenage victim, his mother, or her other children.

Both men had admitted assault causing actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing.

Innocent

Judge Anthony Lowe, who heard the men accepted that their victim had been entirely innocent, said whatever they believed at the time they should not have resorted to violence.

Mr Jonathan Veasey-Pugh, prosecuting, said the incident happened in July last year when a group of children ran away in fear from a car in St Martins.

The teenage driver told police he had accidentally over-revved his car.

Williams was told about the incident by one of the children and drove off to nearby Gobowen looking for the teenager.

Mr Veasey-Pugh said a Facebook message said there had been an attempt to abduct two girls and a boy. CCTV footage showed Williams driving into a car park in Gobowen approaching the victim and punching him. Shaw then arrived, put the teenager to the ground when Williams kicked him.

The teenager suffered a dislocated shoulder, bruised eye, and a chipped tooth.

Mr Stephen Scully said Williams worked in Somalia and when not working volunteered helping schoolchildren with English lessons and building an electric system for a local school. Mrs Debra White for Shaw said he had no previous convictions and was a hard-working, family man.