Kian Bateman, 19, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years for the murder of Shelley Davies, 38, a mother of three. He was under the influence of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, when he deliberately drove his car into her outside a Cardiff bar.
Incident Outside Cardiff Club
The incident occurred in September last year outside the 4th Glamorgan Home Guard Club in Cardiff. Bateman had attended a General Levy gig with friends and left to visit his girlfriend. When she was not home, he returned to the venue in his mother's Seat Ibiza to find a growing altercation outside.
The court heard that Bateman saw his brother in a dispute with a group of people, during which Ms Davies ended up on the ground. Bateman then used his car as a weapon, driving into the group at about 10mph. He ran over Ms Davies, who was lying on the road, and also hit her partner, David Bratcher, then 40, causing him serious injury. Bateman did not stop but drove off, handing himself in the next day.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Bateman admitted causing death and injury by dangerous driving but was convicted of murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court. Mrs Justice Stacey stated: "I am satisfied and I am sure that you did not see Ms Davies lying in the road in front of Mr Bratcher and I accept that you did not intend to cause her any harm. But because she was in the way when you were trying to cause really serious harm to Mr Bratcher, it means that you are guilty of Ms Davies' murder."
The judge noted that Bateman had been taking nitrous oxide balloons throughout the evening, including while driving. She added: "I accept that you became scared and panicky there in the car… but you could have reversed out of the situation. Instead, you accelerated and drove at Mr Bratcher intending to cause him serious harm."
Victim Impact and Defence
Ms Davies was described by her family as a "force of nature" who worked as a Reiki healer for those struggling with addiction. In a statement read to the court, Mr Bratcher said: "She was the person I loved, my best friend, and the mother of our three children. Losing her in such a sudden and violent way has changed our lives forever."
Caroline Rees KC, defending, argued: "The intention was only to seriously harm David Bratcher. There was a total lack of premeditation here, this is an offence committed in seconds only, albeit with the most tragic of outcomes. He was 18 years and seven months old at the time of the offence and he hadn’t been driving for long." The court heard Bateman has a learning disability, showed remorse, and had no previous convictions.
Prosecution and Police Statements
Anthony Clarke of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The strong evidence presented by the Crown Prosecution Service at trial satisfied the jury that this was no accident. The defendant deliberately used his car as a weapon, with devastating consequence. His actions resulted in the tragic loss of a young woman’s life and injured others."
Detective Superintendent Mark O'Shea of South Wales Police commented: "Shelley Davies, a mum of three, went on a night out to watch live music at a local social club with her partner David Bratcher, but tragically never went home after suffering fatal injuries. The court found that Kian Bateman deliberately drove at Shelley and seriously injured David. Shelley was loved dearly, and is greatly missed, by her family and friends."
In addition to the life sentence, Bateman was disqualified from driving for 21 years and 109 days and ordered to take an extended re-test.
