A driver pursued and deliberately knocked down a cyclist leaving the biker paralysed from the waist down. Steven Thomas was at the wheel of a stolen SUV when he ran down Kyler Brophy outside a Swansea supermarket before running off.
Thomas was initially charged with attempted murder for the shocking incident which was seemingly sparked by a "grievance" between the two men.
Swansea Crown Court head Thomas has a long history of offending involving motor vehicles, and that he considers himself "the most accomplished car thief in the area". At the time he ran the cyclist down he was out of prison on licence following an incident which saw him crashing a stolen car into a vehicle containing a mum and her young children.
Carina Hughes, prosecuting, said in the early hours of March 22 this year Thomas stole a Ford EcoSport SUV from outside a house in Grovesend. The whereabouts of the Ford were unknown until the afternoon of Sunday March 20 when it was spotted on the "old" stretch of Carmarthen Road behind the Fforestfach Tesco supermarket.
The prosecutor said the Ford, with Thomas at the wheel, appeared to be following an electric cycle being ridden by a man called Kyler Brophy - the two men were described as "acquaintances" though not friends. The cyclist turned right onto Ffordd Cynore at the crossroads with Ystrad Road and the SUV followed him, with the driver seen to be "playing cat and mouse" with the biker.
The court heard that as Mr Brophy approached the traffic lights at the entrance to Tesco, Thomas was seen to deliberately mount the pavement in the EcoSport and drive into the the cyclist. Thomas then drove in an arc back onto the road with Mr Brophy and the bike trapped under the vehicle. The court heard the defendant got out of the SUV, dislodged the bike from underneath the vehicle, and shouted at his gravely injured victim as he lay half on the road and half on the carriageway: "I will kill you". The 29-year-old defendant drove off but abandoned the vehicle a short distance away where he and an unknown passenger also in the Ford alighted and ran away.
The prosecutor said police were soon on the scene and found Mr Brophy lying "lifeless" half on the ground with his clothes "torn to shreds". The casualty was rushed to hospital suffering with a collapsed lung, rib fractures, lumbar spine fractures, and nerve injuries to his lower back. Miss Hughes said as a result of the collision Mr Brophy has been left paralysed from the waist down and will need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Steven Carl Thomas - who also goes by the name Steven Rice - of no fixed abode had previously pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 21 previous convictions for 47 offences beginning when he was a youth and including multiple aggravated taking of vehicles, thefts from vehicles, fraud, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, handling stolen goods, offences of violence, criminal damage, being concerned in the production of cannabis, and possession of drugs.
At time he ran down Mr Brophy the defendant was out of prison on licence having been was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June last year following a high speed police chase through the streets of Penlan and Clase which ended when he crashed "at some speed" into car carrying a mum and her young children. Thomas was arrested at the scene and when searched was found to be in possession of an OBD reader - an electronic device which plugs into the onboard diagnostic system in a car and allows thieves to de-activate the alarm and encode new keys - as well as what were termed "the more traditional tools of the car thief's trade" including bolt cutters, a lock-pick, and an adjustable spanner.
At the time of that 2021 chase and crash Thomas was again out of prison on licence having been sentenced to 10 months in prison in October 2020 for his involvement in another police pursuit - this had seen him and three other career criminals race through Swansea at speeds touching 100mph in a stolen car, and one stage ramming a police vehicle and injuring the officer inside. The four men ran away from the stolen Ford EcoSport but were quickly rounded up. They subsequently refused to take responsibility for the driving, and would not say which of their number had been behind the wheel.
Ian Wright, for Thomas, said the best mitigation he could put forward were the defendant's guilty pleas.
Judge Geraint Walters said on the day of the incident Thomas was out looking for Mr Brophy over some "perceived grievance" he had with him, the extract nature of which was not known to the court. He said when he encountered his victim near the Tesco supermarket he was seen to pursue him along the road before driving at him, knocking him to the ground, and then "leaving him for dead". He said it was clear from the contents of the pre-sentence report that Thomas took delight in his criminal exploits, and that he considered himself to be "the most accomplished car thief in the area" to whom the law did not apply.
With a one third discount for his guilty pleas Thomas was sentenced to nine years in prison. He will serve two-thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was further disqualified from driving.
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