Man run over after Barry road-rage row descends into 'disgraceful' violence

A man was seriously injured after being run over when a road rage dispute descended into scenes of "disgraceful" violence. People were left horrified when a violent altercation broke out in broad daylight following a row, a court was told. Jack Saunders, Austin Germon and Stuart Sutton attacked Daniel Flynn in the middle of a road in Barry after they left their vehicles to find out why traffic had been brought to a standstill. Cardiff Crown Court heard the trio initially left their vehicles to try to defuse the situation with Flynn, who had stopped his car to confront a delivery driver he had pulled out on. Sentencing, a judge told them "while your intentions may have been innocent, what happened was anything but". After the group had punched and kicked Flynn, 32, he responded by driving in a highly dangerous manner which saw him run over Sutton, 49, causing him to suffer serious injuries. The incident was captured on mobile phone and CCTV footage. Recorder Simon Stephenson said "people were horrified" by what they saw and described the footage as "disgraceful". A sentencing hearing on Friday, May 15 heard that at around 11am on June 14, 2023, 32-year-old Flynn became involved in an argument over a traffic issue in the Barry Road area of Barry. Flynn had pulled out on a delivery driver before both drivers stopped. CCTV footage played to the court showed Flynn getting out of his car and approaching the delivery driver who remained in his vehicle. He became aggressive and took his top off. Prosecutor Thomas Stanway suggested this showed the defendant was looking for a fight. The three other defendants got themselves involved in that dispute, the court heard. Initial attempts were made to "placate" a shouting and aggressive Flynn but the situation quickly descended into "sustained violence" in a public area. Recorder Stephenson said: "Your reaction was disgraceful and went beyond self defence. As a group you attacked him in the middle of the road." Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here He said "people were horrified" by what they saw. On the CCTV footage played to the court, one person could be heard shouting "call the police" and telling those involved to "grow up". Sutton and Germon, 34, punched Flynn on the ground. The court heard Saunders, 27, was less involved in the physical altercation, but kicked Flynn while he was on the floor. During the assault, Flynn suffered a broken nose and was later treated in hospital. When Flynn got back into his van he deliberately reversed at speed into Sutton's work van, causing £3,000 worth of damage. Angry about what Flynn had done, Sutton returned to the scene and made an attempt to punch Flynn through the open window of his van, the court heard. CCTV played to the court showed that when Sutton was in front of the van, Flynn accelerated quickly towards him in a "highly dangerous manoeuvre". The judge told Flynn: "At that time you thought you were at risk of being attacked but [your] actions were not reasonable." Sutton moved out of the way but was pushed back by another vehicle and went under Flynn's van. Recorder Stephenson said while it wasn't Flynn's intention to run over Sutton, he did and caused him serious injuries, including puncturing his left lung and an injury to his spleen. Flynn drove straight to the police station following the incident. The four defendants were arrested after an investigation by police. Saunders, Germon, and Sutton pleaded guilty to affray. Flynn was convicted of dangerous driving following a trial. He was found not guilty of affray. During a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on May 15, the judge told the group their behaviour on the day in question "was nothing short of appalling". However, he said he was satisfied "the disgraceful footage does not reflect the type of person each of you are". Flynn, of Conybare Road, Sully, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months. He will be required to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and eight days rehabilitation activity. He was also suspended from driving for 12 months. Saunders, of Holton Road, Barry, was given a 30-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He will be required to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 days rehabilitation activity. Sutton, of Gilbert Street, Barry, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. He will be required to carry out 15 days rehabilitation activity. Germon, of Barry Road, Barry, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. He will be required to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 days rehabilitation activity. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice