14 January 2024 , 18:13
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A mum punched her ex's new lover's car in a jealous fit of rage, before ramming it multiple times after spotting both of them inside.
Emma O'Neill lost her composure after seeing Sara Greenall in the car with her ex-boyfriend Ian, before launching a bizarre attack on the vehicle. The early hours attack took place outside the West Park Rugby Club in St Helens, Merseyside, a court heard, resulting in Ms Greenall's car being written off.
Mum-of-two O'Neill appeared at Liverpool crown court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving over the attack on May 16 last year. The court heard how the 43-year-old had shocked the couple after punching the driver's side window while they were chatting in the car.
Sarah Gruffyd, prosecuting, said O'Neill's initial punch didn't break the glass, but prompted Ms Greenall to start the engine and turn her car around to leave the car park. Whilst driving away, she then felt the impact of her car being rammed into from the passenger's side and began to spin.
Ms Gruffyd said: "She started to move away and felt another impact to the side of her car causing it to spin nearly 180 degrees ending up facing the wrong way." The victim then swerved to avoid being hit again, driving onto a street where her car was rear-ended by O'Neill "five or six times".
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After making an emergency U-turn, Ms Greenall then managed to call the police. The attack left her suffering from back problems for which she needed physiotherapy and painkillers, while her car was written off.
The driver, MsGreenall, tried to drive out of the car park but O’Neill twice drove into the side of her car spinning it around and when she managed to get onto Prescot Road O’Neill rammed into the back of it five or six times and the victim’s car was later written off. O’Neill, 43, of Nutgrove Road, Thatto Heath, St Helens, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in the early hours of May 16 last year.
Peter White, defending, said, “She wishes to apologise to the court for her atrocious driving.” He said she had had the matter hanging over her for nearly two years and his carer for her father and younger brother. Her children both have difficulties and she has recently begun therapeutic therapy for her issues.
The judge, Recorder Matthew Happold, told her, “This offence is very serious but one which could have been much more serious. For reasons I find it difficult to comprehend you found yourself in the car park in the early hours of the morning where you came across Ms Greenall and your ex or on-off partner.”
He said it was difficult for him to infer what lay behind the incident “but what is quite clear, not only from the photographs of damage but CCTV footage, you were in a fit of rage at that point and to use the vernacular you lost it. You drove in an extremely dangerous manner and treated it as if it was some sort of demolition derby….It is a matter of great fortune that no-one was seriously injured by your actions in the early hours of the morning.
“It must have been terrifying for those inside the vehicle.” Recorder Happold sentenced her to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered her to carry out 120 hours unpaid work and 20 days rehabilitation activities. She was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £200 towards the prosecution costs.