A motorist who murdered a stranger in revenge for rubbing his bare bottom on his car and then sitting on its bonnet has been jailed for life.
Matthew Weller, 44, had an altercation with driver Muhammad Haarith, 23, beside his VW Passat in Accrington, Lancashire, at 10pm on 22 April. Weller pulled down his trousers, rubbed his bottom on Haarith's car bonnet and sat on it.
Court hears of fatal sequence
Preston Crown Court heard that an enraged Haarith drove off, unbalancing Weller, who fell under the front wheels of the car and was dragged down the road. Weller was pronounced dead three hours later in hospital.
Haarith fled the scene and made "calculated" steps to cover his tracks, including destroying his phone and hiding his car. Judge Robert Altham said "vulnerable" Weller suffered a "terrifying, agonising and wholly avoidable death".
Family responds to verdict
Weller's family said: "We are pleased the jury saw through Haarith's calculated behaviour and found him guilty of murder.
"The decisions Haarith took that night led to Matthew losing his life in a violent and undignified way. Haarith left Matthew in the road without a care or concern for him, taking steps to avoid the police whilst Matthew was fighting for his life.
"No sentence will ever feel long enough or bring Matthew back, but we are content that justice has been served for him."
Prosecution details and sentence
Prosecutor Tim Evans told the jury: "Immediately prior to being struck by the vehicle, Mr Weller had been shouting at the occupants of the car, and perhaps in particular Mr Haarith. There comes a point where he partly drops his trousers and appears to rub his buttocks on the bonnet of the car, a matter of feet away from the defendant.
"You're entitled to consider if the defendant was angry at him for that, and in that anger did he deliberately drive at Mr Weller to injure him? Deliberate it all is and must be, say the Crown. As he hits Mr Weller, how can the defendant fail to see him go down? How can he fail to see Mr Weller go under the car? How can he not feel that he's dragging Mr Weller under the car? Why not put on the brake if that wasn't your intention?"
CCTV footage showed Haarith driving off with Weller still on the bonnet. Weller fell to the ground and was run over by the front wheels before being dragged underneath the vehicle along the road and into Birch Street, where the rear wheels ran over him. Weller died from his injuries shortly after 1am on 23 April. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was multiple injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle and dragged beneath it.
Lancashire Police said Haarith broke his iPhone and left it in a gutter to avoid being tracked, adding: "He callously drove away from the scene, abandoned the car and went to get a takeaway." After learning of Weller's death, Haarith handed himself in at Greenbank Police Station in Blackburn.
Haarith, of Accrington, admitted manslaughter but was convicted of murder. On Monday he was handed a life sentence, with a minimum of 16 years and five days in prison. Judge Robert Altham, the Recorder of Preston, ordered that he serve a minimum tariff of 16-and-a-half years, minus 177 days spent on remand, before being eligible to apply for parole. The judge also said that while Matthew had vulnerabilities, he had family who loved him and Haarith's actions had taken him away from them.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Harry, of Lancashire Police, said: "Muhammad Haarith's callous and deliberate actions led to Matthew Weller losing his life in this horrifying manner. He showed a complete disregard for Matthew's life, driving the car over him and continuing to drive for some distance with Matthew trapped underneath.
"Haarith left Matthew in the road with horrendous injuries, choosing to drive off and abandon his car, one which he had used as a deadly weapon. I hope that the jury's verdict and the sentence imposed by the judge can deliver a sense of justice to Matthew's family."
