Shocking footage captures the sickening moment a blood delivery driver used his van as a weapon to deliberately mow down a cyclist during a traffic argument in south London.
Mark Okotie, 44, of Peckham, was behind the wheel of a work van carrying life-saving blood supplies destined for hospital patients when he became embroiled in an altercation with a cyclist in his 20s on New Cross Road in Lewisham on 20 March 2024.
The video, released by the Metropolitan Police and shown in court, shows Okotie steering sharply across lanes after the rider spat in his direction. In a moment of extreme road rage, the van strikes the cyclist, knocking him from his bike and running him over as he sprawls helplessly on the tarmac amid evening rush-hour traffic.
The victim, identified in court as Hugh Jones, suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fractured femur. He required emergency surgery to insert metal fixings into his pelvis and leg and spent two weeks in hospital. He told the court the attack has left him in ongoing pain and unable to enjoy activities such as cycling, running and working out.
Police were flagged down by horrified witnesses at the scene. Bodycam and dashcam footage later recovered from Okotie’s own van and nearby buses corroborated eyewitness accounts that he deliberately swerved and accelerated into the cyclist’s path. One witness told officers they believed the driver was trying to kill him.
Okotie was arrested at the scene. He was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent at Woolwich Crown Court and sentenced to three years and six months in prison. The judge described the attack as “extreme road rage” in which Okotie “used the van as a weapon.”
The case has sparked outrage because Okotie was transporting blood for patients in need at the time of the attack. Detectives said he chose to place someone else’s life at risk rather than continue a journey intended to support potentially lifesaving treatment.
Okotie, a father of eight, has previous convictions for driving offences, including a 2019 drink-driving conviction that led to a 12-month ban. He was not disqualified from driving as part of the latest sentence.
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