Man convicted of murder after driving over man

A man who deliberately drove over another man, following a fight, has been convicted of his murder.

Kyle Dumble, 27, was a passenger in a car when the driver spotted a group of people walking home after celebrating a birthday in Hailsham, Sussex, in November 2023. Dumble’s friend, who was driving, got out of the car and a fight started.

Dumble, who was disqualified from driving, jumped into the driver’s seat and drove towards the fight to get his friend, who got into the car. However, instead of leaving, Dumble drove forward, then reversed at speed. Jack Field and another man moved between parked vehicles, but Dumble reversed the car into those vehicles, knocking Jack to the ground and pinning the other man between the car he was driving and another car. Dumble continued to reverse, spinning one of the parked vehicles 90 degrees.

Witnesses told how Dumble then looked out of the open driver’s window before driving over Jack, who was lying on the ground, killing him instantly.

Building the case 

Dumble claimed at the trial that he did not intend to hit anyone and said there had been a fault with the vehicle. In police interviews, he said that the gearbox was “dodgy” and sometimes it says it is in drive, when it is in neutral, before telling police that the first time he had noticed this was on the evening Jack was killed.

As part of the prosecution case, an expert vehicle examiner looked at the mechanical operation of the car and dismissed any suggestion that it could have accidentally slipped into reverse from drive.

A simulation of the collision was prepared, which demonstrated how the car was being driven and how it had been deliberately steered to hit the victims. 

Katie Quincey, from the Crown Prosecution Service South East, said: “Despite Kyle Dumble’s claims, this was no accident, and we were able to prove to the jury that there was no issue with the car and that his actions on that night were very deliberate.

“Dumble had every opportunity to leave the scene but chose, in his anger, to use the vehicle like a weapon and run people down.

“Our thoughts are with Jack’s family and friends at this time and everyone who witnessed the horrific events of that evening, who will never be able to forget what they saw.”

Kyle Dumble will be sentenced on 27 January 2025.