A former landlady of a Penryn pub has been found guilty of dangerous driving after driving into a builder leaving him clinging to the bonnet of her van for dear life.

Elkie Paddi Mills, former landlord of the King’s Arms Hotel in Penryn, which she ran with her former partner and business partner Nathan Foster, had pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving.

However after a trial at Truro Crown Court last week she was found guilty following the case of “road rage” in New Street, Penryn on May 14, 2021.

Nicholas Lewin Prosecuting told the court that on that day there had been a case of “road rage” over a white builder’s van parked on the right hand side of the road as you came down.

He said there were various vehicles parked offside in New Street and as a result getting through the gap was fairly tight.

Mills, now living in Mevagissey, had driven down the street from the pub car park but claimed she could not get through and asked one of the builders, who were working on one of the homes, to move the van.

He said the owner of the van David Retford said there was plenty of room to get through as a council refuse lorry had been able to get past earlier with no problem.

The builders offered to guide her through, but she refused and started swearing at them so they left her to it. “She became angry shouting ‘Move your f**kin’ van’,” said Mr Lewin.

“She called Nathan Foster who appeared on scene carrying a 4ft or so metal scaffold pole. He was heard shouting 'Which of you c**ts owns this van'.”

One of the builders Isambard Pole-Hampton stepped out of the property he was working in and saw Foster swing the pole at the van and deliberately hit Mr Retford’s white transit causing damage to the nearside front wing.

Mr Retford came out of the property and walked towards Mr Foster who swung the scaffolding pole at Mr Retford, causing him to jump out of the way. They then wrestled with the pole going down the street as Mr Retford attempted to get it off him.

“Mills stayed in her van up the road but at this point decided to drive her van down the road at speed,” said Mr Lewin.

“She made contact with Mr Pole-Hampton who was carried along on the bonnet of the van at speeds estimated to be between 15 and 20mph - obviously finding herself able to make it through the gap she couldn’t previously make it through.

“As soon as he had realised the van was coming at him Mr Pole-Hampton had jumped up onto the bonnet and was carried along for 20 or so metres before eventually jumping off to the left of the van.”

Other people were forced to jump out of the way with Mr Pole-Hampton “bouncing” off the front, according to Mr Retford .

The van came to a stop and Mills got out and was “aggressive and unpleasant,” said Mr Lewin, shouting at them to leave Nathan Foster alone and that she had told them to move their van. Foster and Mills got in the van and they drove off as the police were called.

The whole incident was filmed from an upstairs window by another builder, which was played in court.

Foster was later charged with various offences to which he pleaded guilty to.

“What she is claiming is that she drove forward because she believed it was 'reasonable and necessary' to defend herself, said Mr Lewin. “We say that’s complete nonsense."

In the witness stand Mills denied trying to run Mr Pole-Hampton over and said the reason she started moving forward was because she was frightened he was going to try and smash his way into the van, as he was holding a hammer.

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She said the sight had triggered a reaction as she had been the victim of domestic violence when she’d been attacked with a hammer by a former partner and choked unconscious.

She claimed when she came round she heard her then-partner on the phone talking to a friend about how to dispose of her body as he thought he’d killed her.

She also claimed to the court that she was the subject of separate domestic violence from Nathan Foster and she was scared that he would blame her if he had been beaten up by the builders, so she was trying to stop that.

Mills will be sentenced on February 24.