Gidea Park man who drove his car into people after ‘violent outburst’ is found guilty of attempted murder

A snapchat video showed a silver Ford Focus driving into crowds of people in Romford's town centre. Picture: @lordobasa (Image: Archant)

Michael Fasan, of Nyall Court, Kidman Close, was also found guilty at the Old Bailey on Thursday, February 21 of dangerous driving.

The 29-year-old asked a woman for her number outside Kosho nightclub in South Street at around 3am on Sunday, August 19, last year.

She refused twice and indicated that she had a boyfriend.

When Fasan spotted her later in Chandlers Way with another man he continued to ask for her number, angering her friend.

The two men got into an argument, with witnesses saying that Fasan told the man, “my name is Sparks and you’re in my ends” moments before he got into the driver’s seat of a grey Ford Focus.

Bus footage, CCTV footage and a video that went viral on social media shows the car ploughing into groups of people in Chandlers Way.

People can heard be screaming and crying on the video and the person who appears to be filming yells, “he’s dead, he’s dead” and “chill out man”.

The car chases the man Fasan argued with, hitting him and another innocent woman.

With no care for his victims or their condition, Fasan drove away from the scene.

The woman was thrown over the bonnet over the car and sustained cuts to her arm and injuries to her back and the man suffered injuries to his back and finger.

Fasan told jurors that it wasn’t him behind the wheel, but a friend of a friend who was wearing identical clothing and happened to look just like him.

The 29-year-old said that they were both wearing navy blue Armani track suits but that he had shed the top layer of his clothing in Chandlers Way when he thought police were approaching.

He also claimed that his DNA was found in the car because he had been living in the Ford for a couple of days.

After the video of the incident circulated on social media, police began an investigation and recovered the Ford Focus in Durham Avenue, Gidea Park.

Fasan was arrested on Wednesday, August 22 and charged with attempted murder, dangerous driving whilst disqualified and driving with no insurance.

After the court case, Det Con Jon Bounds from the East Area Command Unit, said: “This was a violent and unjustified outburst of anger from Michael Fasan, who intentionally used the Ford Focus as a deadly weapon.

“It is through pure luck both victims in this case have not received more serious, or even fatal, injuries.

“I would like to thank the witnesses who supported this investigation and provided evidence at court, enabling Michael Fasan to be brought to justice and face the consequences of his actions.”

Fasan will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on March 28.