September 27th 2024.
Next in the news, the headlines report on a disturbing case involving a vicious attack on an NHS worker. Two men, Phillip Adams and Patrick James, have been found guilty and are facing prison time for conspiring to inflict grievous bodily harm on Katungua Tjitendero, a 25-year-old healthcare worker who was on his way home from work when he was struck by a car.
The incident occurred on July 22, 2020 near Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Tjitendero was walking on the pavement when a Honda suddenly mounted the curb and hit him. As he laid on the ground in pain, he heard two men running away and one of them even uttered a racial slur. The court heard how Adams and James were in the car at the time and were later convicted of conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm.
Tjitendero suffered serious injuries, including a fractured fibula, nose, and lacerations to his head and shins, which required extensive plastic surgery. In a recorded police interview the next day, Tjitendero described how his head hit the car's windshield after he was suddenly struck by the vehicle.
He explained that he was looking at music videos on his phone and wearing headphones when the car came out of nowhere and hit him. Tjitendero recalled hearing the two men getting out of the car and saying something before running away.
During the trial, it was also revealed that James had previously livestreamed another hit-and-run on a cyclist just 10 days before the attack on Tjitendero. In that incident, the victim, Julian Ford, suffered serious injuries including a rib fracture, a lung injury, and a haemothorax. James was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in this case as well.
Eyewitness Alison Adams testified that she saw the car take a sharp turn and intentionally aim towards Tjitendero. She also described how the two men who ran from the car were wearing hoods and masks to conceal their identities.
Anjali Gohil, the prosecutor, stated that Adams and James were driving around the Southmead area, specifically looking for Tjitendero. A DNA examination of the car found evidence linking both men to the crime.
Two other men, Jordan McCarthy and Daniel Whereatt, who were accused of being in a getaway car, were acquitted of conspiring to inflict grievous bodily harm.
The court also heard how James had filmed the attack on Tjitendero and could be heard laughing before and after the incident. Detective Superintendent Mike Buck, who led the investigation, described the footage as "absolutely sickening."
He also expressed gratitude towards Tjitendero and his family, as well as Ford, for their patience and support during the four-year-long investigation. James and Adams will be sentenced on Monday for their heinous crimes.
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