Van driver sentenced for deliberately running over cyclist

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 11:32 · Archive

A man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for deliberately running over a cyclist in Lewisham.

Mark Okotie, 44, of Peckham, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent at Woolwich Crown Court on 19 October. The incident occurred on 20 March 2024 when Okotie, driving a work van transporting blood destined for hospital patients, became involved in an altercation with a cyclist on New Cross Road in Lewisham.

Footage of the incident showed the van deliberately moving across the road into the cyclist's path. The cyclist, a man in his 20s, was knocked from his bike and run over. He suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fractured femur, requiring surgery to insert metal fixings into both areas.

Police were flagged down by members of the public at around 5.40pm. Witnesses reported seeing the van swerve out of its lane and cross into the cyclist's path before accelerating, with one eyewitness telling police they believed the driver had tried to kill the cyclist. Okotie was identified and arrested at the scene. Detectives obtained dashcam footage from the van and footage from nearby buses, which corroborated witness accounts.

More than two years after the attack, the cyclist reported that the incident was still having a significant impact on his life.

How it is being reported

• Shocking moment Lewisham road-rage driver deliberately runs over cyclistVideo shows the moment a van driver transporting blood to hospital deliberately swerved into a cyclist and ran him over in Lewisham.This Is Local London · 27 Oct, 11:15
• Shocking moment Lewisham road-rage driver deliberately runs over cyclistVideo shows the moment a van driver transporting blood to hospital deliberately swerved into a cyclist and ran him over in Lewisham.News Shopper · 27 Oct, 11:15

In this story: Mark Okotie · Lewisham · New Cross Road · Woolwich Crown Court · Peckham

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