A Nigerian delivery driver in the United Kingdom, Mark Okotie, has been jailed for three and a half years after deliberately using his van to run over a cyclist who spat at him during a road rage confrontation.
Okotie, 44, was sentenced to 42 months in prison by Woolwich Crown Court after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The incident happened on March 20, 2024, along New Cross Road in Lewisham, London, while the father of eight was driving a delivery van carrying emergency blood supplies to a local hospital.
The confrontation reportedly started after Okotie pulled into the left lane without properly checking his mirrors, nearly hitting a cyclist.
Things turned violent at a traffic light when the cyclist, angered by the near collision, spat through the driver’s open window, hitting Okotie.
Furious over the attack, the Nigerian driver allegedly swerved his van into the cyclist, knocking him off his bicycle before running over him with two wheels of the vehicle.
The cyclist sustained devastating injuries, including severe fractures to his pelvis and thigh bone, requiring surgery involving several metal plates and screws.
In a victim impact statement read in court, the cyclist said the injuries had permanently affected his life, leaving him unable to jog or participate in physical sports.
During the trial, Okotie’s defence counsel, Mandisa Knights, described the incident as a momentary act of retaliation, arguing that her client had spent years mentoring young people to stay away from violent crime.
She also told the court that the violent outburst was out of character for the Southwark resident, who is a father of eight and grandfather to a one-year-old child.
However, Recorder Neil Haythorne, while acknowledging that the incident appeared out of character, said Okotie’s moment of extreme road rage had caused life-changing injuries.
Detective Inspector Steven Andrews of the Metropolitan Police condemned the attack, saying Okotie had endangered a human life while driving a vehicle transporting critical blood supplies meant for emergency patients.
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