Fan 'took law into his own hands' after Aston Villa v Birmingham City clash

Apr 24 2009

A Birmingham man "took the law into his own hands" and drove deliberately into a football fan in the middle of the road, killing him almost instantly, a court has heard.

Christopher Priest, 26, died on April 20 last year after he was struck by a car on Aston Hall Road, Birmingham, shortly after Aston Villa's 5-1 win over Birmingham City.

Lee Mockble, 21, of Robin Hood Lane, Hall Green, was at the wheel of the Volkswagen Golf which hit Mr Priest. He denies murder and causing death by dangerous driving.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, jurors heard how Aston Villa fan Mr Priest had attended the match, at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, with a group of friends. Mockble had not been at the derby and the fatal crash stemmed not from club rivalry but from a glass-throwing incident close to the ground, the prosecution said.

The court heard that following the game, which kicked off at 12pm, Mr Priest and his friends went to the Aston Villa Social Club for a drink before setting off down Aston Hall Road with the intention of catching a bus to a pub in the Erdington area of Birmingham, just a short distance from Mr Priest's Sutton Coldfield home. At the same time - around 2.45pm - Mockble and two passengers were driving along the same road with their windows wound down.