Footballer jailed for mowing down 11 young rivals after they called him ‘fatty’

A football player has been jailed for 10 years after using his car as a ‘weapon’ to mow down teenage opposition supporters for calling him a ‘fatty’.

Dad-of-one, Lee Taylor, 36, drove his grey BMW into a group of young boys aged 14 to 19 after his team lost 5-0 in a South Wales football match.

A court heard how 11 teenagers were deliberately ‘knocked down like skittles’ in the ground’s car park, after he’d played for amateur Margam FC at the home of their rivals, Cornelly Utd, in Bridgend.

He told the boys ‘you don’t want to mess with me’ before getting into his car, revving the engine, and accelerating into the group of boys and injuring them, before attempting to chase another two boys onto the football pitch.

One boy, 17, jumped on top of the car and punched Taylor’s windscreen in an attempt to stop him, which led to the driver jumping out of his vehicle and attacking more of the group before driving off.

A judge said it was ‘just good fortune’ that none of the victims were seriously injured or killed.

The boys had apparently taunted him after he’d tried to set ground rules for a fight which broke out between two of them outside the dressing room, following the match.

Newport Crown Court was told Taylor posed a ‘high risk’ of harm to the public – with a string of violent offences to his name – resulting in him being given an extended 10-year custodial sentence.

Judge Williams said: ‘The spat between two boys could have been defused by any adult with an ounce of common sense. But you don’t have that.

‘Your fragile pride could not take the insults. You were angry and decided to exact revenge on those who dared to dent your fragile ego.

‘You made threats of violence and then used your car as a weapon to inflict violence on the boys because a few of them had disrespected you.’

Taylor had denied trying to injure the teenagers and claimed he was trying to escape a group attack.

He claimed he was unaware he’d hit them and couldn’t hear the boys’ screams because his car stereo was too loud.

But the jury, which took five hours and 40 minutes, unanimously found Taylor guilty of dangerous driving and of 11 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent by a majority verdict.

Taylor, from the Sandfields area of Port Talbot, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years and told he would be deprived of his BMW.

Detective Constable Neville Evans, from South Wales Police, said: ‘It is very fortunate that no lives were lost in this incident and we are pleased that Taylor has now been brought to justice.

‘This was an incident which affected many members of the local community in North Cornelly.

‘I would like to praise those victims and witnesses who administered first aid at the scene, and thank them, their families and other members of the community who assisted South Wales Police with our investigation and the subsequent trial.’

Taylor was told he would serve at least seven years of his sentence in custody, before a parole board will decide whether he should be released.