@c5news: Witnesses thought Okotie was trying to kill the cyclist. A van driver transporting blood deliberately swerved and accelerated into a cyclist with a witness believing he was trying to kill him. Mark Okotie was driving a work van carrying blood through Lewisham to a hospital when he became involved in an altercation with a cyclist that turned into road rage. Footage from inside the van shows Okotie steering into the cyclist on purpose around 5.40pm on 20 March 2024, with one witness saying he thought he was trying to kill him. The footage shows Okotie appearing to run over the cyclist. The cyclist, a man in his 20s who has not been named, was taken to hospital with multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fractured femur and later had metal fixings inserted into his pelvis and leg. Witnesses told police that they had seen a van swerve out of its lane and cross into the path of the cyclist before accelerating. Okotie was jailed for three-and-a-half years on Tuesday after being found guilty of grievous bodily harm at Woolwich Crown Court. In a victim statement, the cyclist told how he used to have an active lifestyle – cycling, running and working out - “but I’ve not been able to do that since”. He also tends to avoid socialising and keeps “myself to myself”. “There are lots of things that I would have liked to do but now I probably can’t do with my injuries, like skydiving,” he said. Detective Inspector Steven Andrews, who led the investigation, said: "Instead of continuing a journey intended to support potentially lifesaving treatment, he (Okotie) chose to place someone else's life at risk.’ He said he hoped Okotie’s sentence “provides a measure of justice for the victim and demonstrates that deliberate acts of violence on London roads will be robustly investigated and prosecuted”.

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Tuesday 27 October 2026 14:45:22 GMT