Two men jailed for delivery driver assault in Sunderland

Two men have been jailed for their roles in an assault in Sunderland which left a man with serious head injuries.

On Tuesday, December 16, a delivery driver was delivering packages on Stannington Gardens when a car pulled into the street and parked nearby. Forty-two-year-old Michael Gill, also known as Bobby, climbed into the victim’s vehicle and attempted to steal it and its contents.

When the delivery driver ran towards the vehicle to stop it from being stolen, Gill drove the car into him, running him over, before driving off. Waiting in the vehicle was 43-year-old Gary Rarity, who also drove off after Gill.

The victim, a man in his 50s, was left lying in the middle of the road with life-threatening head injuries. He spent a week in intensive care and has since been discharged from hospital with ongoing support due to permanent damage from the attack.

The vehicle was later found abandoned on Aysgarth Avenue. Enquiries revealed that Gill and Rarity had met up nearby to transfer stolen packages from the victim’s car to theirs.

Within days, both men were arrested and questioned but initially denied any wrongdoing. However, they were eventually charged with a range of offences in connection with the assault.

Gill, of Cairo Street, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, theft, driving whilst disqualified, and driving with no insurance. He was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison and received a further four-year and nine-and-a-half-month driving ban.

Rarity, of Brick Garth, Houghton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft, driving whilst disqualified, and driving with no insurance. He was sentenced to seven months in prison and handed a two-year and ten-week driving ban.

Leading the investigation was Detective Inspector Ash Loader from Northumbria Police's Major Investigation Team (MIT).

“First and foremost, my thoughts are with the victim who was targeted as he was just going about his job,” said Det Insp Loader. “No-one should be subjected to this kind of assault. Thanks to a thorough investigation and overwhelming evidence, Gill and Rarity were left with no option but to plead guilty – saving the victim the need to re-live his experiences through a trial.”

“Using a vehicle to carry out an act of violence is completely unacceptable,” added Det Insp Loader. “We are committed to cracking down on those who flout the law through dangerous driving and violent behaviour and will do all we can to ensure offenders are held accountable and have their day in court.”