Bristol hit-and-run victim is 'pleased' to have got justice

Katungua Tjitendero described the attack as “horrible”

BBC Katungua Tjitendero. He has short, dark hair with several small braids. They have red beads at the ends. He is depicted looking directly at the camera with a blank expression. He is wearing a black coat with a fur-lined hood. — Katungua Tjitendero described the attack as “horrible”

A man seriously injured after being deliberately run over by a car said he was pleased justice had been served.

Katungua Tjitendero was hit by car after finishing a shift at Southmead Hospital in July 2020.

In September, Phillip Adams, 26, and Patrick James, 22, were arrested after a trial at Bristol Crown Court for conspiring to inflict grievous bodily harm on him “unlawfully and maliciously”.

Tjitendero, 25, said: “In this kind of situation you have to forgive and forget because there is no point in holding a grudge.”

“It was something horrible that shouldn’t have happened, but it did, so now that justice is here we can move on,” he added.

The trial jury was told the case was not being prosecuted as a racially motivated crime, but a racial slur shouted as the group fled gave an impression of their state of mind.

Mr Tjitendero a rapper also known as K-Dogg told Kevin Philemon on BBC Radio Bristol: “This kind of thing – we don’t expect it to happen, but unfortunately it happens in society.

“There’s really not much we can do about it. It’s more about educating young people to try to change the future when it comes to racism and things like that.

“You have to look at the positives. Something bad happened (but) I’m still here, I can still do things and move forward.”

The car was deliberately driven at Mr Tjitendero

Avon and Somerset Police A dark blue Honda Accord. The front bumper was broken after being run over by a man. The car is on the sidewalk in front of a wall. A metal fence that was attached is lying on its side. — The car was deliberately driven at Mr Tjitendero

The NHS worker was walking to a bus stop on Monks Park Avenue when the car mounted the pavement and hit him, forcing him into the windscreen and pinning him against a wall.

Tjitendero suffered a fractured fibula, broken nose and lacerations to his head and shins in the incident, the court was told.

He needed plastic surgery due to severity of your injuries.

Phillip Adams (L) and Patrick James (R) were convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court

Avon and Somerset police photos of Phillip Adams and Patrick James. Both men are depicted against a light, simple background. They have blank expressions and are looking directly into the camera. — Phillip Adams (L) and Patrick James (R) were convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court

Adams, from Southmead, was sentenced in his absence to six years in prison, while James, from Lawrence Weston, was sentenced to eight and a half years for his role in the attack.

James was also convicted of a second charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to a separate incident in Avonmouth just 10 days earlier.

Tjitendero said the incident affected his family and many members of the Bristol community.

“Now we can move on and get into music and the creative lifestyle again,” he said.