Hit-and-run driver caught on CCTV found guilty of ‘revenge’ attack on group of friends

Shocking video footage helped convict Aqab Hussain, 21, of four counts of attempted murder after argument over a baseball cap

The moment before the driver hits his friends

WARNING: Video contains graphic images

A man who used his car as a “lethal weapon” in a hit and run attack on a group of friends has been found guilty after the incident was caught on CCTV.

The footage shows Aqab Hussain, 21, ploughing into three men after they had earlier clashed in a minor argument outside a Manchester club.

Mr Hussain has been convicted of four attempted murders. Manchester Crown Court heard how in August last year the incident began as “horseplay” in an argument over a baseball cap.

It escalated into a fight between a group of Mr Hussain’s friends and his four victims, after which the 21-year-old jumped into his car to take revenge.

He drove directly at the group as they began crossing a road and, in a moment captured by the video footage, sent three of the men flying as one managed to jump aside.

Martin Harris, the first to be hit, suffered minor injuries. Paul Hulme was catapulted over the roof and broke his right leg. The worst affected, 28-year-old Michael Ward, was carried down the street on the car’s bonnet before Mr Hussain swerved to dislodge him.

Mr Ward, who is partially-sighted, sustained catastrophic head injuries and had to be treated in an intensive care unit for 20 days.

Rachael Pavion, District Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North West said: “Aqab Hussain used his car as a weapon, he sought revenge by driving at speed deliberately at the four men with a clear intention to kill.

“After he struck his victims, he drove from the scene and showed complete disregard for the harm he had caused.

“One of the men received life changing head injuries; he was catapulted into the air after being carried on the bonnet of the vehicle for several metres, the two other men sustained substantial injuries.

“Eye witnesses, together with CCTV and forensic evidence helped to prove that he was the driver of the vehicle that had collided with the victims.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely alongside the police to piece all the evidence together and present a strong case to the jury, who have today accepted the prosecution case and delivered a guilty verdict.

“As a result, Aqab Hussain has been brought to justice and he must now take responsibility for his dangerous actions.”