Van driver deliberately drove into man at M1 service station

A van driver who threatened a man before deliberately driving into him at a service station has been jailed.

Marcus Knowles, 31, hit the man at Leicester Forest East services on the M1 in June, leaving him with serious leg injuries.

The attack followed threats made to the victim, a man in his 40s, earlier that year, police said.

Knowles admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was given an eight-year sentence.

Leicestershire Police said Knowles had messaged the man in February 2021, threatening to kill him.

On the day of the attack, he drove from Blackpool, while the victim had travelled from North Wales to attend a Christian convention in the area.

The force said Knowles' van was discovered abandoned in Hinckley the following day, and officers later found him in Blackpool, hiding under a caravan bed.

On Monday at Leicester Crown Court, Knowles, of St Walburgas Road, Blackpool, was also banned from driving for eight years and seven months and handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim for 15 years.

Det Cons Tom White said the attack left the man's leg "shattered" and had a significant impact on his life.

He added: "It was clear that Knowles had been planning to cause serious injury to the victim for some time and that this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"He knew what he wanted to do. He then tried to evade officers but was soon found."

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