Man who drove car onto dancefloor in revenge attack after 15 vodkas and '10 spliffs' is jailed

'It is a miracle no one died,' say police

A clubber who ploughed his car into a packed dance floor in a drunken rage after being thrown out by bouncers has been jailed for 28 years.

Mohammed Abdul, 21, was "enraged and felt humiliated” after security ejected him from Blake’s nightclub in Gravesend, Kent, and returned to cause “carnage” in revenge.

He had threatened to “shut down” the venue and kill the bouncers after they kicked him out for being too drunk on 17 March last year. He returned 10 minutes later in a stolen 4x4 and ploughed into clubbers who were waiting to see rapper Giggs perform.

Ten people were injured and police said it was “a miracle” that no one was killed.

Abdul had consumed at least 15 vodkas and cokes with tequila shots and smoked “five to 10 spliffs” before getting behind the wheel of the Suzuki Vitara, a court heard.

He claimed he had only intended to “make a nuisance of himself to get his own back on the door staff”.

But his actions left clubber Katie Wells, 18, with a fractured pelvis and photographer Pierre Jermaine Joseph, who was pinned against a pillar by the car, with a fractured shinbone and broken knee.

Ms Wells may now be infertile because of her injuries, the court heard.

Mohammed Abdul was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder (PA)

Abdul, of Deptford, south-east London, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was handed two 28-year jail sentences, which will be served concurrently, on Thursday.

Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told him: “It could have been a scene of carnage. Your inebriated state, together with the bravery of the door staff, who pushed and pulled people out of your way, combined to avoid the multiple deaths which were your aim.”

She added: “Your motive was selfish and pathetic: it was revenge at being thrown out for being drunk.”

Abdul, who only had a provisional licence for the car, was also disqualified from driving until he passed his test.

Mohammed Abdul​ ploughed a stolen 4x4 on to a crowded dance floor at Blake’s nightclub (Sonny Powar/PA)

The attack, described by the prosecution as a determined and deliberate attempt to kill, was captured on CCTV shortly before midnight.

Footage from inside the club shows Abdul driving past bouncers and coursing down an alleyway packed with clubbers before stopping and accelerating into the dance floor in a marquee connected to the venue.

From a camera inside the club, the vehicle’s front lights can seen emerging as dancers mingle, unaware the Suzuki was hurtling towards them.

One man is swept off his feet and left spread-eagled on the bonnet as the Suzuki rams into him from behind. Others flee to safety as security guards appear in pursuit of the car.

The car is then seen reversing, its registration plate hanging off at an angle, as clubbers stagger to their feet.

Security staff swarm the vehicle and appear to drag Abdul away from the wheel, while onlookers appear visibly distressed in the corner of the nightclub.

The judge commended the “courage and commitment” of the bouncers, who she said had ”acted selflessly in trying to stop the defendant and to save lives”.

“Some of them kept him safe from the frightened and angry crowd afterwards,” she added,

Libby Clark, senior crown prosecutor in southeast complex casework unit, said: “It was sheer luck that no-one was killed that night, but the impact on those caught up cannot be underestimated.

“Aside from the physical injuries they suffered, they had to experience the nightmare of having a car hurtle towards them with no warning as they were enjoying a night out.”

Kent Police said the 4x4 had been been stolen from London. An empty vodka bottle and small bags of cannabis were found inside.

Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton said: “Abdul’s actions that night were beyond deplorable, from his inappropriate behaviour which led to him being ejected from Blake’s, right through to driving at innocent people who were only looking for a good night.

“The idea of a vehicle being driven at people evokes very significant emotions in today’s climate and it is a miracle no one died as a result of Abdul driving a 4x4 into the marque.

“Many of those who were injured are still recovering now and I hope today’s sentencing helps them find some closure.”