A cancer nurse with no driving licence who ran over a police woman that gave her a speeding ticket has been jailed.
Abiola Akilla never passed a driving test and did not have insurance when she reversed over PC Caroline Green and drove off as she lay on the ground in agony, on October 31, 2020.
The officer suffered five broken ribs, as well as leg and arm injuries.
Akilla, who had her baby daughter in the back, was pulled over for driving 51mph in a 40mph zone and she told PC Green she was “in a rush” before she suddenly drove off after being told the check would take some time.
She reversed back as PC Green, a single mum-of-one, checked the car’s registration and then “drove over the top” of the officer as she tried to radio for help, the court heard.
A passing motorist then stopped and used the downed officer’s radio to contact help, and an air ambulance was dispatched.
Alongside the serious injuries from the sickening car attack, PC Green suffered PTSD in the long term.
PC Green has still not returned to the frontline and only was able to return to working from home in December last year, 13 months after the crime.
Akilla was jailed for 15 months at Basildon Crown Court, but in a statement PC Green said her sentence was “a very small price for her to pay” as the traffic officer faces a “life sentence” of suffering with her ongoing injuries.
She said: "I've been through 17 months of hell, mentally and physically, and continue to go through it - it's like a life sentence for me."
The court was told "she drove away and never looked back" after running over the helpless PC, who was manning the checkpoint on her own at the time.
Harrowing body cam footage was shown to the judge of the moment the vehicle went over her body.
Akila entered the dock crying but showed little reaction when the shocking film of her crime was played.
When pulled over Akila lied and claimed she was insured to drive the car, when in truth she had never taken a test or had a valid licence.
The prosecution described how Akilla “knocked the officer to the floor" and she then accelerated away, with both tyres going over the officer's body, narrowly missing driving over her head.
"The officer screamed, she was in intense pain lying in the road as the driver drove away.”
The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to harm PC Green and to causing serious injury to her by dangerous driving and driving while not qualified and without insurance.
Describing the horrifying incident, PC Green said afterwards: "I saw a car coming over the hill going over the speed limit, and it didn't slow down.
"I got a reading and pulled her over, and she told me the vehicle wasn't hers and she didn't have her licence on her at the moment.
"I went to the front of the vehicle to take the registration plate and all of a sudden she reversed back onto the road.
"I went back onto the road in front of her car and told her to come into the layby. As I was calling on the radio for someone to help, she drove over the top of me.
"Her front wheel went over my ankle, then she drove up my leg. I was in so much pain I thought she'd snapped my leg.
"I fell back and cracked my head on the concrete and she drove over my ribs and my right shoulder.
"I had a crushing feeling all over my body and was screaming in pain. She was so close to my head, and in between the first and second wheels going over me I managed to get into a foetal position. Then the back wheel went over my legs, pelvis and stomach."
She added: "I had sleepless nights, I was already having psychological issues with what had happened but then I started getting headaches every single day, thinking about having to go to court.
"Every day since that incident I've been on some form of recovery. The implications for her are short-lived, whereas for me they might be forever.
"Career-wise I don't know where I fit now. I want to stay with the police, I don't want to be ill-health retired, as I'm only 14 years into my career. But I only ever wanted to work in uniform on the frontline and I can't do that anymore."
At her first appearance in court, Akila pleaded not guilty and said she would pursue a defence based on a ‘robotic’ mental deficiency where she could not recall what she’d done.
Judge Samantha Leigh wasted little time in delivering her verdict, the sentence would have been four years but as she admitted the charge she was slapped with 30 months.
On top of that, she was given an 87 month driving ban.
Akilla's defence described her actions as a "moment of madness", adding: "This is contrary to the way she has lived her life, contrary to her compassion.
"It's completely out of character and spontaneous in terms of that decision on that day. It is inexplicable.”
Laura Heggie, Essex Police Federation chair, said she felt Akilla had got off lightly.
