A court has heard how a man tried to murder a Birmingham student by driving a car into a nightclub crowd during Freshers’ Week.
Mohammed Suffi, 22, went on trial at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (2nd December) after being accused of intentionally ploughing a vehicle into Caliston Calistus after a fight erupted during a student event.
Suffi was high on drugs when he drove the Mercedes into the crowd outside the Tunnel Club, and jurors were told Caliston suffered “catastrophic” injuries when the accused used the “powerful vehicle as a weapon”.
Caliston and five other people were injured during the attack via SWNS
The court heard how the 22-year-old ploughed into the nightclub attendees after being “egged on” by a friend.
Caliston was left with fractured ribs, a fractured pelvis, a broken collar bone, broken shoulder blades, a broken neck and collapsed lungs after the attack, which saw him dragged underneath the vehicle.
Five other people were also injured following the incident on October 3rd last year.
Suffi, from Aston, Birmingham, has pleaded guilty in court to dangerous driving, but has denied the charge of attempted murder and another charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
via SWNS
Opening the case, Daniel Oscroft, prosecuting, said Suffi had earlier been captured on security cameras holding a balloon which likely contained nitrous oxide.
The 22-year-old, along with three other people, had gone to the nightclub to attend a student Freshers’ event.
He said: “Witnesses described the atmosphere being lively and well controlled until tension started to rise and security intervened in a dispute involving the defendant’s group.”
However, at 2:20am bouncers made Suffi and those he was accompanied by leave the club following aggressive behaviour. David added that the group “continued to act aggressively and did not let it go”.
Around 30 minutes later, as people were leaving the club, Suffi and his associates returned and “instigated a full-blown fight”. This was despite being outnumbered.
Mr Oscroft said: “Suffi started to drive aggressively.”
“The vehicle reversed and circled back and round and drove at pedestrians, knocking people over.”
via SWNS
Daniel told the court that Caliston began fighting another man, with the pair moving forward into the road outside Tunnel Club.
According to the prosecution, Suffi then drove straight into Caliston and the other man, who are seen in CCTV footage as they “disappear under the front bumper”.
He added: “You see the vehicle rise and fall over the two bodies.
“Their bodies are further down the road. Suffi could have stopped. Instead he drove over them.
“He deliberately drove at them and drove over them.”
Caliston was in critical condition after the attack and spent three weeks in hospital.
Caliston suffered severe injuries following the attack via SWNS
Daniel told jurors: “You will not be surprised to learn that he thought he was going to die.”
He said the defendant “knew precisely what he was doing” and, before speeding off from the scene, had tried to hit more students with his car.
The court heard how a few hours later, Suffi had driven the damaged Mercedes to an industrial park nearby in Oldbury, West Midlands, before fleeing the country.
Mr Oscroft said: “The intention was to kill someone. It could have been anyone.
“Unfortunately for Mr Calistus he was the one in the road at that time.”
The trial continues.
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Featured image via SWNS
