Man who broke woman's leg with remote-controlled car weeks before her wedding is jailed for two years

Emily Patel suffered a triple fracture after being attacked during an exercise class in a park

Emily Patel spent her whole wedding day on crutches after the car broke her leg in three places (Solent News & Photo Agency)

A man has been jailed for two years after breaking a woman’s leg with a remote-controlled car just weeks before her wedding day.

Emily Johnson, now Patel, was left on crutches at the altar after Ricky Fitzgerald deliberately crashed the car into her in a park, leaving her leg fractured in three places.

Ms Patel, 22, was taking part in an exercise class last August in St John’s Park in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, when the petrol-powered car smashed into her leg.

She was rushed to hospital and had x-rays taken, revealing the triple fracture. She was forced to use crutches on her wedding day but was able to walk down the aisle and marry her now-husband, Sudi Patel.

Fitzgerald fled the scene but was later arrested by police and admitted grievous bodily harm. He has now been sentenced to two years in prison.


 Ricky Fitzgerald fled the scene but was later arrested by police 
 (Sussex Police)

Speaking after the sentencing, Ms Patel, who runs a beauty salon, said: “It’s been a bit of a roller coaster of a year for me, but I am happy it’s finally come to an end.

“I had no idea what sentence he would receive, but I am happy with the two years in jail he was given.

“Unfortunately it will never repair the fact that he almost ruined my wedding day, but hopefully his sentence will punish him for that."

During sentencing at Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge Roger Hetherington said Fitzgerald, who suffers from mental health issues, had committed an “extraordinary offence” that caused “appalling disruption” to Ms Patel’s wedding.

“You intentionally drove that car in the direction of various people who were lawfully trying to have some recreation in the park,” he said.

“You then drove the car at one of the members of the class, it has been said at 30mph. That may be an exaggeration but it was certainly a fast speed.

‘It hit her in the leg, she tripped and fell over and sustained a serious injury, a triple fracture to her leg.’

‘She was some three weeks away from her own wedding. There was the most appalling disruption – inevitably – to that.

“She was able to carry through with it but only in the state of injury and with bandages and aids to assist her.”