The trial of a teenager driver accused of deliberately driving over a woman outside a Cardiff club has begun. Shelley Davies, 38, died from her injuries weeks later.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Kian Bateman, 19, who denies murder, had been sitting in a car outside the Home Guard club in the Ely area of Cardiff when there was a fight that left Ms Davies knocked to the ground and lying in the road.
Prosecutor Michael Jones KC told the court just after midnight on September 27 last year Ms Davies and her partner David Bratcher had been involved in “an altercation” with the defendant’s brother Kai. He told the jury that Kian Bateman had been sitting in his car – a Seat Ibiza Sport – with the engine running as the fight played out in front of him.
Mr Jones said: “The prosecution’s case is outside that club just after midnight, this defendant deliberately drove his vehicle into Shelley Davies and David Bratcher, intending in this moment to either kill them or at least cause them really serious harm.”
The prosecutor continued: “The prosecution say he would have been able to see what was going on.
“He drove forward a short distance before stopping again.
“The altercation involving his brother, Shelley Davies and David Bratcher was ongoing and Kai threw a further punch. He punched Ms Davies in the face which caused her to fall to the ground.
“She was lying in the road and Mr Bratcher was seen to move towards Kai Bateman. At this point the defendant, the prosecution say, deliberately accelerated his car forward and into a collision with Ms Davies who had her arms outstretched in front of her as if to ward off the car.
“The defendant drove over Ms Davies and knocked over Mr Bratcher..
“The defendant did not stop after driving over Ms Davies and into Mr Bratcher, he continued driving along Heol Trelai and away from the scene.”
Bystanders called the emergency services and the police and emergency services arrived shortly afterwards. Mr Jones said: “At that stage, Shelley Davies was still lying in the carriageway, clearly severely injured.
“Her clothes were torn and she had blood injuries. She was conscious but not able to communicate. It was obvious she had suffered major trauma.
“The decision was made to move Shelley Davies onto an ambulance where the extent of her injuries were more visible. The decision was taken to take her to the University Hospital of Wales.”
Ms Davies arrived at hospital at 1.10am and was admitted to the intensive care unit where she was treated for multiple serious injuries
These included; fractures to her vertebrae, rib fractures, arm fractures, hip fractures and dislocation, blood in the abdomen, multiple wounds and abrasions.
She was taken into surgery immediately and attempts were made to stabilise her. Attempts were made to put her pelvis back together and a blood transfusion was administered.
While in hospital, Ms Davies suffered complications, contracted multiple infections and went into septic shock.
On October 17, Ms Davies suffered a major deterioration in her condition and by the next day she had liver and irreversible organ failure.
All treatment was stopped and Ms Davies died at 2.30pm on October 18.
The medical cause of death was given as multiple organ failure, multiple chest wounds, infarction, polytrauma including bowel, chest and leg injuries.
The court was told that Bateman is accused of speeding off from the scene and not stopping or calling for help. The car was later found abandoned with nitrous oxide cannisters found on the passenger seat.
The jury were told that there is CCTV footage of Bateman inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons, and that CCTV cameras outside the Home Guard and a nearby newsagents captured the collision.
Concluding his opening, Mr Jones said: ““The prosecution’s case is that this defendant in this moment deliberately and intentionally drove his vehicle at Shelley Davies and David Bratcher and when he did so in this moment he intended to either kill them or at the very least cause them very serious injury.
“Serious injury was caused to them both, catastrophically in the case of Shelley Davies. At the time he did this, it’s a matter for you when you see the CCTV evidence on Monday, there’s no evidence of other people surrounding the car or banging on the windows before he collided with Shelley Davies and David Bratcher.
“The only people directly in front of his car were those he hit, the two who suffered really serious injury and the one who later died, who were seconds earlier involved in an altercation with his brother right in front of his car.
“Immediately prior to doing that the defendant had been inhaling nitrous oxide gas, a class C drug which would have impaired his ability to drive and made him act more aggressively.
“The prosecution say it’s no coincidence that moments before the defendant drove at Shelley Davies and David Bratcher, they had been involved in a physical altercation with his own brother Kai.
“The prosecution say this is why he accelerated and deliberately drove his vehicle at them.”
Bateman, of Heol Muston, Ely, has pleaded not guilty to murder and is standing trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
The trial is estimated to last between two and three weeks.
Live updates below:
