After being kicked out of a bar for bring drunk, a humiliated Lee Bradley used a stolen car as a ‘fearsome weapon’
It was the early hours of Sunday, October 17, 2010, and Rochdale town centre was packed with revellers. But on Packer Street, in the shadow of the town hall, trouble was brewing.
Outside Dali Bar a bouncer was arguing with a ‘highly intoxicated’ man. Moments earlier Lee Bradley had been kicked out for being ‘extremely drunk’ and was now trying to force his way back inside the venue.
As things came to a head the bouncer pushed Bradley to the floor. “I will f****** have you!,” Bradley raged as he picked himself up off the pavement. “Watch this now!”
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It was the moment a regular night on the town turned into a ‘scene of devastation’. Bradley, then 26, was no stranger to the law.
As a teenager he’d been jailed for manslaughter after a vicious gang attack in which a 29-year-old man was beaten to death on the Belfield estate in Rochdale. Bradley was one of four youths who set upon the ‘doting dad’ yards from his front door, repeatedly punching and kicking him.
He never regained consciousness and died in hospital 23 days later. Bradley, who couldn’t be named at the time because of his age, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was locked up for six years and five months.
It was a stark and early indication of what a judge would later describe as his ‘reckless and malicious’ character. Fast forward eight year and, after being shoved to the floor outside Dali Bar, Bradley, who also had two drink driving convictions, dusted himself off and got behind the wheel of a stolen Saab 93 that was parked nearby.
Witnesses described seeing the convicted killer, who was high on a cocktail of booze and cocaine, burst into laughter as he ‘levelled’ the high-powered car at the bouncer and drove straight at him.
After missing the doorman by inches the car ploughed on, accelerating along the broad pavement. Revellers were knocked down ‘like skittles’ and flung over the bonnet as others desperately dived for cover.
As the Saab came to the end of the street Bradley slammed on the brakes, pedestrians rolling off the bonnet, before he ran them over too, witnesses later told police.
One man, who had stepped outside the bar for a cigarette, was thrown over the bonnet and suffered a fractured skull. Another woman was thrown against a tree.
Two newly-qualified nurses who were on a night out celebrating their graduation immediately found their medical skills in demand as they helped treat the injured and wounded. In total 25 people were hurt, with seven men and seven women taken to hospital.
It was a ‘miracle’ no-one was killed during the 60 seconds of madness, a court later heard. But as his victims lay wounded on the ground Bradley fled the scene and dumped the car, which had been stolen from Sale in Trafford, and disappeared.
In the coming days he was named as the number one suspect and a huge manhunt, dubbed Operation Moccasin was launched. As police stepped up their investigation and searched 80 homes graphic CCTV footage was released to the press.
Det Insp Chris Walker, of Rochdale CID, said: “I want Bradley and anyone who knows where he might be to look at this CCTV footage and think long and hard about how serious this offence is. The footage clearly shows the driver of the car recklessly driving into a large group of people and without exaggeration it is fortunate no-one was killed.
“We desperately need to speak to Bradley about this incident and will not rest until we find him. I also want to warn anyone foolish enough to help him that they will be dealt with severely.
“He cannot hide forever and it is in everyone’s best interests that he hands himself in and talks to us sooner rather than later.”
A fortnight later, with the net rapidly closing in, unemployed Bradley did just that, but only after shaving off his beard in an attempt to disguise himself. In May the following year he stood in the dock at Bolton Crown Court.
Prosecutor Michael Morley told the court: “The defendant left a scene of devastation behind him. It really is miraculous no one was killed. Immediately door staff and members of the public ran to help numerous people who were injured.”
After Bradley, formerly of Fern Isle Close in Whitworth, near Rochdale, pleaded guilty to a total of 23 charges – including attempting to cause grievous bodily harm; grievous bodily harm; assault, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving – judge William Morris said he posed a danger to the public and must remain behind bars until it is considered safe to release him.
After passing an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection, the judge said: “You were deliberately using this motor vehicle as a weapon, a fearsome weapon. So many were injured by what you did, it is a truly exceptional feature of this case.
“As for their injuries, any one of them could have been so much worse, one or more of them could so easily have been killed. You will not be released, in fact, until the parole board decide that it is safe to release you again into the community.”
Speaking after the sentence, senior investigating officer Andy Tattersall of Greater Manchester Police said: “Bradley is a violent and dangerous individual who probably felt a certain amount of humiliation and anger at being asked to leave the club.
“It is a reflection of his character that he chose to deal with that by driving a car at door staff and along a crowded pavement where dozens of people were enjoying a night out.”
