Mum Knocked Down in Hospital Car Park Confrontation
A mother was knocked down in a Birmingham hospital car park during a road rage incident after another motorist 'completely lost it', a court heard. The distressing event occurred at Heartlands Hospital on October 29 last year, when the victim had taken her daughter for medical care.
The Selfish Manoeuvre and Escalation
The court was told that the victim attempted to pull her car out into a line of traffic. However, Aprile Rogan, aged 33 from Tackford Close, Solihull, performed what was described as a 'selfish' manoeuvre, speeding up to block the available space.
Prosecutor Thomas Griffiths detailed how Rogan then opened her car door onto the bumper of the victim's vehicle. After this, Rogan proceeded to leave the immediate area and put her ticket into the machine at the car park barrier.
When the victim exited her own car to confront Rogan about her actions, the situation escalated dramatically. Rogan turned her car towards the woman and knocked her down as she drove away from the scene.
Legal Consequences and Sentencing
Rogan was later arrested after the victim managed to take note of her car's details. At Birmingham Crown Court, Rogan admitted to charges of dangerous driving and criminal damage.
The victim suffered significant injuries, including bruising and swelling to her arm and hip. An X-ray also revealed a possible fracture, though the court did not receive any updated information on her long-term condition.
In her defence, barrister Ashanti-Jade Walton conceded that CCTV footage showed her client's behaviour to be 'quite selfish'. She explained that Rogan was under immense stress at the time, as her grandmother had been admitted to the hospital and passed away shortly after the incident. Rogan was also said to be still processing the death of her grandfather seven months prior.
Recorder John Freeman, passing sentence, rejected assertions that the victim had banged on Rogan's car. He stated that 'a reasonable amount of give and take is reasonably needed' in hospital car parks, which Rogan had failed to provide.
Despite the circumstances, the judge acknowledged the defendant's stress, saying, "For some reason perhaps tied to that you completely lost it." Rogan, who had no previous convictions, was handed a seven-month suspended sentence.
She was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and pay the following financial penalties:
- £1,000 compensation to the victim
- £1,000 in court costs
- A £100 fine
- A £54 victim surcharge
