Blood delivery van driver who deliberately ran over cyclist who spat at him is jailed but NOT banned from driving

Mark Okotie, 44, of Naylor Road, Southwark, was sentenced to three years and six months at Woolwich Crown Court after dashcam footage captured him yanking his steering wheel so that a cyclist was pulled under two wheels of his van on New Cross Road, Lewisham, during the morning rush hour in March 2024. He was carrying blood products destined for a south London hospital at the time. The judge declined to impose a driving ban, noting that Okotie had continued to drive throughout the two and a half years since the attack.

The victim, a man in his 20s, suffered multiple pelvic fractures and a fractured femur requiring metal screws and plates, and says he can no longer jog or cycle.

At least one witness told police they believed Okotie had tried to kill the cyclist; members of the public flagged down officers at the scene, which led to his identification and arrest.

Okotie's defence barrister told the court that he works with young people to steer them away from violence, and must now face his mentees 'in the eye' and admit what he has done.