Driver jailed for death of man who fell off bonnet

A man who accelerated before braking sharply while a 29-year-old man was on his car bonnet causing him fatal injuries has been jailed for six years.

Jackson Paul, 35, was found guilty after a trial of causing death by dangerous driving of Jordan Thomas who came off the front of his black BMW on 25 February 2024.

Mr Thomas had climbed onto the car and punched the windscreen when Paul accelerated to more than 30mph (48km/h) on Harbour Road in Onchan before braking.

Deemster Graeme Cook said no sentence passed could "ever value Jordan Thomas's life" or diminish his family's "profound loss or anguish".

Douglas Courthouse previously heard that Paul had been out for a drive with his flatmate when Mr Thomas got onto the bonnet of his car when he was making his way along Harbour Road.

The 29-year-old had climbed onto the bonnet and pulled at the windscreen wipers, breaking one off, before punching the glass twice.

The court was told Paul initially reversed the vehicle before stopping, accelerating forward and braking sharply, which "propelled" Mr Thomas off the car.

He died nine days later in Aintree Hospital in Liverpool.

Deemster Cook told the court Paul "must have foreseen" that Mr Thomas would be injured when he drove in the way that he did, and while he found the speed was not a causative factor to the death it had been dangerous.

When interviewed by police and giving evidence the trial, Paul said he thought the car was in reverse when it launched forward.

But the deemster said he rejected that, and accelerating up through three gear changes in the automatic car over a distance of up to 60m (197ft) with Mr Thomas on the bonnet and then braking sharply was "clearly dangerous".

"This was in my view of the evidence a most obvious case of dangerous driving causing the tragic death of Jordan Thomas," he said.

However, Deemster Cook found that Mr Thomas's own actions had contributed "significantly to his death", as "had he not got onto the bonnet, the tragedy would not have occurred".

In a victim impact statement read to the court the 29-year-old's mother Savina Thomas said her son had a "fascinating brain", a "superb personality" and liked to help others.

Grief had "struck down a whole family that Jordan was the main character in", which she said matched the size of his "massive heart that touched so many".

"Our boy has gone forever, no more dreams or grandchildren," she said.

Paul has been disqualified from driving for eight years, and will have to take an extended driving test before he can drive again after his release.

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