Published: Friday, 20th November, 2009 4:26pm

Car-jacker faces jail for 'despicable' crime

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A callous car-jacker who mowed down a woman and left her for dead, was today (Friday) warned he faced jail for an "absolutely despicable" crime.

A jury found Kevin Richardson guilty of deliberately running over the mother-of-four as he stole the people carrier she was clearing ice off.

They had earlier been told that 34-year-old Richardson ran down Caroline Johnson after laughing at her futile attempts to prevent him stealing her car.

Before ploughing into her he screamed: "If you don't move out of my way I am going to kill you."

The vicious hit-and-run tragedy has blighted the 46-year-old's life after she was left sprawled in the road with horrific injuries including a fractured pelvis, broken legs, fractures to both ankles, as well as broken shoulders and numerous broken ribs.

The jury of seven woman and five men took less than three hours to find Richardson guilty of causing grevious bodily harm to Mrs Johnson with intent.

He had previously admitted aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and causing grevious bodily harm.

Richardson and his 37-year-old accomplice Karen Napper pounced on Mrs Johnson as she was scraping ice off the windscreen of her Citroen Picasso car after they had spent an unsuccessful night at a crackhouse trying to find drugs in December last year.

Richardson, of no fixed abode, told the jury that he was "shocked" and "dismayed" when he learned on the news of what had happened to his victim.

He tried to brush off mowing her down as a "tragic accident" and claimed he initially denied what happened to the police because he was scared.

Napper, of Ledgers Road, Chalvey admitted aggravated vehicle taking on the second day of the three day trial.

Both were remanded in custody and were due to be sentenced at a later date.

See next week's Observer for the full report.