Jail term for man who drove car at couple
It follows an incident in Northampton
A 32-year-old man who deliberately drove a rental car into two pedestrians in Northampton has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.
On the afternoon of September 28th 2023, Olsi Ceka struck the man and woman as they walked along Black Lion Hill, with a blue Peugeot 5008 GT car that he’d hired for a few days earlier.
The court heard the Ceka, previously of Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton, targeted the pair after a verbal altercation between his girlfriend and the couple earlier that afternoon.
Half an hour later, Ceka spotted the couple as they walked over the bridge near Northampton train station and mounted the pavement before deliberately striking them from behind with the car.
Ceka drove off, leaving the 22-year-old woman with a fractured ankle from the force of hitting the bridge wall, but fortunately the 25-year-old man escaped serious injuries. Both were taken to hospital for treatment.
Members of the public called 999 to report the hit and run, and enquiries led to the identity of the car involved. Ceka and his three passengers were arrested a few hours later.
Following an investigation, Ceka was subsequently charged with four offences:
Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent
Attempted Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent
Possession with intent to supply a controlled Class B drug (cannabis)
Possession of a Class A drug (cocaine)
After appearing at Northampton Magistrates’ Court last year, Ceka had his case committed to the crown court, where he appeared and pleaded guilty to all charges.
On Tuesday, March 11th, he returned and was sentenced to a total of 49 months’ imprisonment, with a 36-month driving disqualification.
Speaking following the sentence, Detective Constable James Oxford of the Northampton CID team, said:
“The fact Ceka chose to use his hire car as a weapon and deliberately drove it at two people, demonstrates a shocking disregard to the consequences of his actions.
“This could have easily had been a completely different type of investigation which carries a life sentence, but it is just through sheer luck that Ceka did not kill or seriously injure anyone that day.
“To compound his reckless actions, he drove away from the scene leaving two people not only with physical injuries which required hospital treatment but also with mental scars that will take a lot longer to heal.”
Detective Inspector Pete Ticehurst added:
“This was a complex investigation from the outset, and I’d like to pay tribute to the two officers responsible for achieving this result at court, DC Chris Heatley and DC James Oxford.
“Their tenacity and determination to achieve justice throughout this investigation resulted in overwhelming evidence showing Ceka’s involvement and left him no option other than to plead guilty at court.”