Two men have been sentenced to jail for causing grievous bodily harm to an NHS worker by hitting him with a car. Phillip Adams received six years in jail and Patrick James received eight-and-a-half years for “unlawfully and maliciously” conspiring to inflict injuries to Katungua Tjitendero. Tjitendero was hit by a blue Honda Accord on 22 July 2020, near Southmead Hospital in Bristol, when he was walking to a bus stop after finishing a shift there.
The attack left Tjitendero with severe injuries, including a fractured nose and fibula, along with lacerations on his head and shins. The incident did not represent a racially motivated crime, according to the jury, although it was reported that the defendants’ comments gave an impression of their state of mind. Tjitendero had been an essential worker throughout the pandemic, supporting his community. After the attack, he suffered online speculation that he was involved with gangs and drugs, which added to the trauma he experienced.
James was also charged with causing grievous bodily harm in a different incident in Avonmouth. Julian Ford was riding his bike along a pavement when a Ford C-Max mounted the kerb and knocked him down. James had recorded the incident on his phone while laughing, before driving away. Ford suffered significant injuries and woke up in an ambulance unable to breathe.
As a result of Tjitendero’s attack, Judge Moira Macmillan stated that he had suffered difficulties sleeping and walking due to the pain and did not leave his home, he said: “I am aware I will never know the answer to this question, but I don’t want this attack to define who I am.” When sentencing both Adams and James, Macmillian remarked on their callousness, as they had celebrated “a job well done” after committing the attack.
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