FOUR men have been convicted of killing Andrew Flamson after they drove into him as he walked his dog with family and friends in Coventry.
On July 12 last year, a car was driven the wrong way up the road, through a ‘no entry’ sign and past cones and bollards which blocked entry to Grosvenor Road, before deliberately hitting the father-of-one and the three other people.
Mr Flamson suffered fatal head injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital three days later.
A post-mortem showed Mr Flamson, aged 40 and from Coventry, had died from a traumatic head injury.
Another man in his 40s suffered a traumatic head injury which has caused life-changing issues.
Two teenagers suffered less serious injuries while the dog also had to be put down shortly afterwards.
They had been deliberately hit by the silver Mondeo shortly after a row with another group of men over a longstanding debt.
The Mondeo drove away with passers-by coming to the aid of those injured and calling emergency services.
Ashley Donald was driving the car, with passengers including his father Samuel Henneberry.
They had several weapons with them including a wooden pole and a baseball bat.
Investigators trawled CCTV from the area and used mobile phone data to piece together the men’s movements on that night, with the Mondeo later found abandoned in Compass Court.
The men were soon arrested but Donald had fled to Ireland two days after the fatal collision.
Police started the process to extradite him but he returned to the UK in September and handed himself in at Coventry Police Station.
All the men denied the murder of Andrew Flamson, as well as the three counts of attempted murder and criminal damage involving the death of a dog.
Today (May 31) Donald, aged 24, was found guilty of murder.
Henneberry, 59, and Carl Tomlinson, 52 both of Westminister Road, Coventry, were convicted of manslaughter at Leamington Justice Centre, as was 19-year-old Callum Ayre.
Ashley Donald and Samuel Henneberry.
A fifth man who was also on trial was found not guilty on all counts.
Callum Ayre and Carl Tomlinson. s
Andrew’s family paid tribute to him, describing him as a kind, loving and gentle man.
“He was loved by his family, his partner and lots of friends. We prayed for justice for our lost boy.
“Andrew is now our spirit in the sky, dancing with the Angels, and he will probably be teaching them his dance moves.”
Det Insp Ranj Sangha, from the homicide team, said: “This was a truly awful incident – with a car being used as a weapon in revenge for an argument over owed money.
“The intention was at the very least to cause really serious harm and it has left families devastated by what happened – one grieving the loss of a father and uncle, and another coming to terms with their loved one suffering really serious life-changing injuries.
“We can only hope that these verdicts bring some sense of peace for them.
“Although each of the men admitted they were in the car they blamed each other, with the driver claiming his arm was grabbed by Carl Tomlinson which caused the car to hit the Flamson group.
“With the verdicts delivered by the jury it is clear they dismissed this account.
“All these men went out with weapons to find the group they had argued with earlier and they are jointly responsible for the fatal events that unfolded.”
