18/02/11……Three hurt after car driven at crowd

THREE people were injured after a car was driven into a crowd of people outside a village pub near Thame.

Police say that the incident stemmed from a disagreement between groups of people at the Rising Sun pub in Ickford at about 12.45am on February 5.

Following the disagreement, one of the men involved got into a car and drove it into a crowd of up to 20 people who were standing outside the pub, driving backwards and forwards at speed, before leaving the scene.

Three men were subsequently injured. The most seriously hurt was a 19-year-old man who was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with leg injuries. After spending several days in hospital the man has been discharged but will still need further operations on his legs.

During the incident, damage was also caused to parked vehicles and a nearby property.

The man driving the car is described as white, of slim build, about 6ft to 6ft 2ins tall, with dark hair. The vehicle is described as an orange/gold Peugeot hatchback with dark wheels and possibly a modified scoop on its bonnet.

PC Charlie Etheridge, of the Roads Policing Unit based at Bicester, said: ?The actions of this driver could have had very serious consequences. We could easily have been dealing with a fatal collision.

?The car involved would almost certainly have some visible damage following this incident, but it may have now been fixed.

?I am appealing for anyone who has information about the car or the driver to contact me as soon as possible.?

If you have information, please call PC Etheridge via the Thames Valley Police 24-hour Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

SOURCE: Press release
PHOTO: Courtesy of www.geograph.org.uk