Northumberland road rage driver who bragged of dishing out 'street justice' convicted of manslaughter

Jake McIntyre, convicted of the manslaughter of Andrew Peart
Jake McIntyre, convicted of the manslaughter of Andrew Peart -Credit:Northumbria Police


A road rage driver has been convicted of killing a pedestrian who stepped out in front of his car before bragging of dishing out "street justice".

Amateur martial artist Jake McIntyre attacked Andrew Peart after they clashed in what began as a minor altercation in Guide Post, Northumberland. After words were exchanged, McIntyre returned to the scene, armed himself with a wheel brace and hit Andrew with it, later recording himself saying he had "wrapped a pole around his head", although he told jurors he only hit him in the leg.

McIntyre, 28, of Stakeford Crescent, Stakeford, Ashington was cleared of murder by jurors at Newcastle Crown Court, who have been considering their verdict since Tuesday, but convicted of manslaughter. He will be sentenced once pre sentence reports are compiled.

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McIntyre was behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Shogun when Andrew is said to have angered him while out for a walk. During the trial, the court heard words were exchanged between the two men during the initial encounter.

However, it McIntyre then returned to the scene and inflicted a fatal head injury on the 39-year-old. Andrew initially seemed relatively unharmed but later deteriorated before dying eight days later from a blunt force head injury.

-Credit:Northumbria Police
-Credit:Northumbria Police

Jurors were told it was on the evening of Tuesday August 22 last year that Andrew left his partner's house to go for a walk, heading towards the Co-op, in Guide Post, Northumberland. David Lamb KC, prosecuting, said: "The police were later told that as Andrew stepped out into the road he may have done so in front of a Mitsubishi Shogun motor vehicle driven by the defendant.

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"Some words were exchanged between Andrew and the defendant. It was a fairly minor episode and over quite quickly. Rather than leave matters where they stood, the prosecution say this defendant drove around, double backed on himself and asked (two witnesses) where Andrew was.

"A member of staff at the Co-op heard shouting from outside the shop and she went to the door where she watched Andrew Peart being attacked by this defendant. The attack she witnessed at that stage consisted of punches that resulted in Andrew stumbling backwards into some sort of bin then, ultimately, falling to the ground."

McIntyre drove off and Andrew eventually got up off the ground and walked away, phoning someone to say he had been hit with a bat by a man in a car. Andrew walked to someone's flat and they said he was fine but "fuming" and had a small lump on his head. He was collected by his partner and he told her he had been hit round the head by McIntyre with a metal bar, the court heard.

Later on, a big lump appeared on his head and his condition began to deteriorate and he was described as "wobbling and rocking around". A call was made for an ambulance but when told it would take an hour, friends took him to Wansbeck Hospital, only to find it was closed. They then took him to Cramlington Hospital.

Mr Lamb said: "Gradually, over the passage of around three hours after the attack, Andrew Peart's physical condition began to deteriorate until around 2.20am on the 23rd, when he was unable to walk without some form of assistance."

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From Cramlington Hospital, he was transferred to the RVI in Newcastle. He was found to have a fractured skull and blood clot with a bleeding artery at the base of his skull. Despite operations, the injury was un-survivable and he died of a blunt force head injury around 12.30am on August 30.

McIntyre sent a text message setting out his initial account of what had happened, saying he pulled into the Co-op and "he was in the middle of the road", which prosecutors say was a reference to Andrew., and he "beeped him".

In a video selfie made on August 23, McIntyre said: "I tell you what, it's a f****** nightmare this f****** hiding from the police, having to change my f****** car again for giving some little crack head street justice".

A further video showed his Mitsubishi Shogun parked next to a white BMW and he made reference to "gannin in disguise since giving some crack head street justice".

Then, in a voice note, in an alleged reference to the Shogun, he said: "I'm not using it for a while because the police are potentially looking for it because I wrapped a f****** pole around a little crack head's head last night".

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In a further voice note, McIntyre said he beeped his horn and claimed "he started being cheeky" and said he "wanted a gan so I said I'm not going to let you down if you want a scrap". He claimed he saw him pick something up off the ground and "I thought it's either me or him and it's definitely not going to be me".

McIntyre added that he got a wheel brace and hit him in the leg with it then pushed him and he fell over a bin and that Andrew was lying on the floor saying he was going to "punch him all over".

McIntyre and his girlfriend went to the Lake District and he was arrested at a hotel in Bowness. In interview, he said Andrew had started to "mouth off" at him and threatened his family when he asked him to get off the road.

He said he saw Andrew pick something up off the ground and then shout something at him as he drove away. He said that "rattled his cage" and he drove around to the other side of the shop where he saw him again.

McIntyre told jurors he struck out because he feared being hit by Andrew, who he said was being aggressive. He said he hit him in the leg with a wheel brace but did not intend to cause serious harm.