EXCLUSIVE

SEVENTEEN months after callously driving over a stricken police officer who had stopped her for speeding, a cancer nurse who lives in Chadwell St Mary has finally been jailed for her actions.

Abiola Akilla, 51, of Godman Road, was jailed at Basildon Crown Court today (Wednesday, 30 March) for 30 months.

Akilla, who has never passed a driving test and was driving without insurance, will have to serve at least 15 of those behind bars before she is eligible for release.

The court heard that her victim, PC Caroline Green has still not returned to front line duties as she continues her recovery from serious injuries suffered in the incident in which Akilla drove her car at the officer, knocked her down and then drove over the helpless, prostrate body of PC Green.

The court was told that 'she drove away and never looked back.'

Harrowing body cam footage showed the incident, which took place on Saturday, 31 October, in detail and was shown to the court. PC Green, who was on her own, was operating a speed check on Stanford Road (A1013), in Grays close to the construction site entrance to Treetops School when the car driven by Akilla approached her heading towards Grays and was clocked at 51mph. The limit is 40mph.

PC Green indicted that Akilla, who had her young daughter in the car, pull over and the officer told the driver what speed she was doing. She then asked Akilla if she had been on a speed awareness course or had been caught offending before? Akilla said no and then, in response to further questions, said while the car did not belong to her, she was insured to drive it. The court heard this was not true, nor had Akilla ever taken a test or possessed a valid licence.

PC Green then put her speed camera on top of the car and went to the front of the vehicle, a Volkswagen Polo, to check its registration plate.

At that point Akilla reversed the vehicle away from PC Green, who called on her to stop. Akilla did stop initially, but as PC Green approached the car again from the front, Akilla drove it into her and then over her body.

PC Green suffered several broken ribs and injury to her legs and is heard shouting in pain on the video as Akilla drove off and left her by the roadside.

A passing motorist stopped, and using PC Green's radio alerted the emergency services as to what had happened. Police, ambulances and the air ambulance then attended.

Prosecutor Stephen Rose detailed the incident to the court, where Akilla, whose age when initially appearing in court in 2020 had been given as 45, had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to harm PC Green and of causing serious injury to her by dangerous driving and driving while not qualified and without insurance.

He told how police had identified the vehicle from the camera footage and tracked it to Akilla's home in Chadwell. The car was nearby and she was found in the garden, where she was arrested.

Her son, who was the owner of the car, was also arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice, but was later released and the charge dropped.

Mr Rose told the court PC Green, a single mother with a young child, had been planned to attend court today to personally read her victim statement – which was placed on file before the judge – but the trauma of the case and the impact on her career and life meant she felt she could not attend in person.

In court today Akilla, who had arrived at court with her family after being allowed bail in the intervening months since her last court appearance, entered the dock crying, but showed little reaction when the shocking film was shown to Judge Samantha Leigh.

At her initial appearance before the court Akilla had pleaded not guilty to all charges and indicated she would be pursuing a defence related to a medical condition based around a 'robotic' mental deficiency in which she could not recall what she had done.

The impact of Covid-19 has delayed her court appearances, but the process was also delayed by changes to her defence and her plea. During the intervening 17 months, Akilla has also contacted Nub News directly, pleading her innocence and saying the case had been dropped as as well as asking us to remove our historic coverage of the case.

At no point in those conversations with Nub News editor Neil Speight did she express any remorse for her actions. We have not removed those stories.

But her alleged remorse and previous good character, plus her work as an oncology nurse in London, were given as reasons by her defence today as to why any sentence should be mitigated.

Defence counsel told the court: "This is contrary to the way she has lived her life, contrary to her compassion. It's completely out of character and spontaneous in terms of that decision on that day. It is inexplicable.

"She made her first mistake getting in the car in the first place. She was under time pressure and it didn't help she was very tired. She was overwhelmed.

"It is clear in those circumstances she must have been completely panicked when she was stopped. Her head must have been swimming, she was petrified. It was irrational and completely bizarre.

"She is an oncology nurse. She had just gone through a very traumatic divorce that affected her. She was a single person trying to do her best.

"She made a decision that she would never make again. The ramifications of an immediate custodial sentence are quite dramatic. She has been suspended from her work.

"If she received a prison sentence it will be almost impossible for her to go back to her oncology work.

"She cares for three children one aged eight and another 16.

"Her family can't believe what happened on that day. It was a moment of madness which shouldn't have happened."

Judge Samantha Leigh wasted little time in delivering her verdict, saying that had Akilla appeared to face a full trial and been found guilty, the sentence would have been four years but because she had admitted the charges she would get 30 months, 15 of which could be served on licence after release from prison. In addition, she imposed a driving ban on Akilla of 87 months.