Paul Rudd, a former Royal Navy officer, has avoided immediate imprisonment after deliberately driving at his wife’s former lover on a Cheshire pavement, leaving the man with a broken nose, torn kidney and concussion, in an attack Chester Crown Court heard he had threatened hours earlier.
A jealous husband has avoided jail after running over his wife’s lover on a pavement in Cheshire. Paul Rudd, 58, waited for his wife and Adrian Boakes to leave a pub together before driving at Boakes at 10mph, having earlier warned his wife: “I’m going to run the c*** over.” The incident, which took place in Dodleston, Cheshire, in February, left Boakes with a broken nose, torn kidney and concussion. Rudd, a business consultant and former Royal Navy officer from Broughton, near Wrexham, pleaded guilty to GBH and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, alongside a two-year driving ban.
How the affair came to light
Chester Crown Court heard that Rudd discovered his wife’s affair through messages found on her phone, prompting him to confront her about the relationship. The affair between his wife and Boakes was said to have lasted several months, rather than being a single encounter, and had reportedly ended a few weeks before the attack. Prosecutors told the court that Rudd had grown increasingly suspicious and angry after learning that the pair remained in contact, despite the relationship having ended.
The moment of the collision
On the day of the incident, Rudd followed his wife and Boakes after the pair left a pub together, before accelerating towards Boakes in his vehicle. CCTV footage presented to the court showed Rudd’s car mounting the pavement and striking Boakes directly.
Prosecutors said the footage contradicted the account Rudd initially gave police, when he called 999 and claimed: “He stepped in front of me.” The court heard that Rudd had, in fact, had sufficient time to see Boakes before impact and applied his brakes, reducing the vehicle’s speed before striking him. Following the collision, Boakes was thrown onto the pavement and required hospital treatment.
The extent of Boakes’s injuries
Beyond his broken nose and concussion, Boakes suffered significant internal trauma and required treatment for damage to his kidney. The court heard that the injuries also had a lasting psychological impact, affecting his confidence and his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Rudd’s defence and mitigation
Rudd accepted that his conduct had been dangerous and pleaded guilty rather than proceeding to trial. His defence barrister told the court that Rudd had acted in an “irrational” state following the breakdown of his marriage and his discovery of the affair. The defence also pointed to Rudd’s previous service in the Royal Navy, his employment history and his lack of any previous convictions in mitigation.
Why he was spared immediate custody
In determining sentence, the judge took into account that Rudd had pleaded guilty at an early stage, a factor that reduced the sentence that would otherwise have been imposed. The court also considered his lack of previous convictions and the remorse he had shown.
Under the terms of the suspended sentence, although Rudd received a 17-month custodial term, he will not go to prison unless he breaches the conditions of the suspension or commits a further offence during the 18-month period. His two-year driving disqualification was imposed separately from the suspended prison sentence.
