Burglar convicted of killing victim with own car

A burglar who ran over the resident of a property he had just targeted using the victim's own car has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Errol Woodger, 38, from Abbey Wood in south-east London, was convicted of killing 51-year-old Marc Allen and of the robbery of Mr Allen's Mercedes, following a three-week trial at the Old Bailey.

The trial heard how in December 2019 Marc Allen interrupted a burglary at his flat in Erith, south-east London, during which his car keys were taken.

Mr Allen tried to stop Woodger driving off in his Mercedes, but it was "used as a weapon" by Woodger to run him over, prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC told the court. Woodger will be sentenced at a later date.

Neighbours of Mr Allen discovered him lying on Peareswood Road having suffered a severe head injury.

Mr Allen was taken to hospital but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead on 29 January 2020.

The court heard that, as a result of a previous illness, the victim wore a prosthetic lower right leg and that his vehicle was supplied by the Motability Car Scheme.

CCTV footage captured at about 02:45 GMT on 29 December showed a man wearing gloves climbing over a brick wall and entering a vacant flat which shared a communal hall with Mr Allen's flat.

"Within minutes Marc Allen's Mercedes was being stolen," Mr Orchard said. "His car keys had been taken. You can be sure he didn't hand them over voluntarily."

A witness who lived opposite heard someone shouting: "That's my car - you aren't taking my car!"

They then saw the car reversing quickly out of its parking spot and on to the road with Mr Allen standing in front of it with his hands held up.

The car then drove forward and hit Mr Allen, who went up on to the bonnet and over the roof, the court heard.

"The prosecution case is the Mercedes vehicle being stolen was used deliberately as a weapon to facilitate the escape of the thief, this defendant," said Mr Orchard.

The Mercedes was found two days later in the Isle of Dogs.

The police investigation found that Woodger's phone was in the same location as the stolen Mercedes in the hours following the offence and in the area of his home address in Belvedere, south-east London.

Giving evidence in his defence, Woodger, who said he was a formerly a soldier in Afghanistan, claimed the burglary had been planned by another man who had phoned him a few hours before the incident - the intention being to obtain tools to sell on and get money to spend on drugs.

Woodger claimed that two men waited outside the property in Peareswood Road while he entered the building and let them in.

They had then seen Mr Allen's car keys in the door to his flat and one of the other men had taken them, the court heard.

Woodger told the court he was directed to get into the passenger seat of the Mercedes and, once in the vehicle, he had put his head between his legs as he did not want to be seen.

As a result, he did not see or hear Mr Allen being run over, he said.

The jury heard that Woodger had been convicted of 15 offences including robbery and attempted robbery.

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