Teenager repeatedly drove car over two women ‘like a speed bump’, court hears

Witness says 19-year-old hit victims, reversed over them, then ploughed over them again after a fight outside a nightclub

McCauley Cox is accused of deliberately driving his Ford people carrier into a crowd outside the Courtyard nightclub in Newport (PA)

A teenager repeatedly ran over two women as if they were “a speed bump” after a fight outside a nightclub, a court has heard.

McCauley Cox, 19, is accused of deliberately driving his Ford people carrier into a crowd outside a venue in Newport in Wales.

Prosecutor James Wilson previously told the court the teenager had deliberately driven his car at a man who was fighting two of his friends, but missed and instead struck two women who were sitting on a kerb.

Sophie Poole and Emma Nicholls survived the incident, but suffered “serious injuries”, with Ms Poole needing skin grafts and Ms Nicholls sustaining internal injuries.

Witness Nathan Rumble told Newport Crown Court he tried to intervene after he saw Mr Cox “going for” the female victims.

Mr Rumble, who was outside the Courtyard nightclub on Cambrian Road at the time, said on Tuesday: “The car went straight up into a crowd of people. I heard girls screaming.

“I saw people go down. The girls were under it the first time, under the front end, under the bumper.

“The car reversed back over the girls. It went back approximately where it was in the beginning. Then he revved the engine and then went off again.

“The second time I saw the car go over the girls again.

“The car looked like it went over a speed bump. But knowing what was going on I assumed it was one of the girls.

“There was a lot of screaming going on.”

After witnessing the collision, Mr Rumble said he and other men began trying to smash the car’s windscreen.

“It was wrong. He was going for them,” he continued.

“You can’t just hit someone twice and not know what you are doing.

“I’d never been so angry. I was angry at the driver.

“He’d run over some girls. I don’t know who does that.”

Mr Wilson said Mr Cox had admitted unlawfully injuring the two young women, but denies his intention had been to drive his car into the unidentified man.

Mr Cox, from John Ireland Close, Newport, denies two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial continues.

Press Association contributed to this report