A man has been jailed after deliberately ploughing his car into a 'completely innocent' couple.
Lee Clarke, 23, drove a blue Volkswagen Golf at the man and the woman while they were outside Revival Nightclub, Rawtenstall, on Christmas Eve 2019.
Earlier in the night, Clarke and the couple got into an 'altercation' in a nearby pub, Burnley Crown Court heard, where he racially abused the man and threatened them both.
Just before 11.30pm, the couple - both in their 20s - were queuing outside Revival.
Dashcam footage from a nearby car showed Clarke's car slow down once the victims were in sight before accelerating, mounting the kerb and hitting both of them - knocking them to the floor.
Clarke then drove the car at the woman for a second time before reversing towards both victims, knocking the woman to the floor.
The Golf was then driven off along Bacup Road, almost hitting a member of the public and narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with another car. Clarke only stopped when a member of the public threw a metal gate at the car’s windscreen.
Clarke, of Bacup Road, Rossendale, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He also pleaded guilty to other unrelated dangerous driving and assault offences.
He was jailed for six-and-a-half years.
DC Melisa Chadwick, of East CID, said: "I welcome the sentence handed down to Clarke and I hope it sends out a clear message that Lancashire Constabulary and the courts will not tolerate this reckless and despicable behaviour.
"Clarke made the conscious decision to turn his car into a weapon and it is extremely fortunate that it did not result in the death of his completely innocent victims or a member of the public.
"This incident caused a great deal of concern in the community at the time and I am glad this case has now been brought to a conclusion and Clarke will have a considerable time in custody to think about the consequences of his actions and how much worse it could have been.”
