Carjacker who crippled mother told he faces jail

Woman was dragged 20m down road by thief who had spent night in crack house

A crack addict carjacker was convicted yesterday of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a mother-of-four by running her over in her own vehicle, leaving her with such severe injuries she is confined to a wheelchair.

Caroline Johnson was preparing to take her son to school and scraping ice from the windscreen of her Citroë*Picasso people carrier outside her home in Langley, Berkshire, on 2 December last year when Kevin Richardson, 34, and Karen Napper, 37, who had spent the night at a drug house, jumped in and drove off, dragging Mrs Johnson 20 metres down the road.

Mrs Johnson had broken down in tears as she gave evidence to the trial, which heard that Richardson had pressed his lips to the car windscreen once inside it, mouthing to her: "If you don't get out the way, I'm going to fucking kill you."

She told the court Richardson was frothing at the mouth and said she had leaned over the bonnet of her car to stop him driving away but she was hit as the people carrier moved forward. She told Reading Crown Court: "All I could hear was the engine and the accelerator and the power to the car was revving and then I felt this thud.

"I could feel my body floating in the air and landing on the floor and I was thinking 'Shit, he's really run me over and he's really hurt me'."

She was given a blood transfusion and treated for cardiac arrest, a fractured pelvis, an open fracture to the right femur, fractures to both ankles and fractured ribs. The car was abandoned nearby.

Richardson, formerly of Slough, who had already admitted a lesser charge of grievous bodily harm, aggravated vehicle-taking and dangerous driving over the incident, was found guilty by a jury at Reading Crown Court yesterday of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He will be sentenced next month. Napper, of Slough, admitted one charge of aggravated vehicle-taking. Prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson, said: "For Mrs Johnson, it was an ordinary winter's morning as she was rushing to take her son to school. From nowhere appeared the two defendants, who had been up all night looking for drugs.

"They pushed her aside, leapt into the car and, with Richardson in the driving seat, deliberately drove at her, causing her horrific and permanent injury.

"We welcome the jury's decision and would like to pay tribute to the courage of Mrs Johnson in giving her evidence in court from her wheelchair."

Speaking after the verdict was announced, Mrs Johnson spoke of her "emotional and physical" ordeal. She said: "The last 10 months have been a nightmare for me and for my family, and I'm relieved that Kevin Richardson and Karen Napper must now pay the price for what they have done.

"Now that they have been convicted of these crimes, I can hopefully move on with my life and put my experience behind me."