Self-styled 'Lord of Wolverhampton' sentenced for knocking over elderly car park warden
A self-styled 'Lord of Wolverhampton' raged over a parking ticket at Lidl before knocking down the 73-year-old warden with his Range Rover and driving off.
Bushan Kumar Sharma, who paid £9,000 for the right to be called 'Lord of Wolverhampton' in 2003, was found guilty of dangerous driving and assault and given a suspended prison sentence.
Sharma, who turned up at court in a Bentley, denied knocking over William Dolman at Lidl in Finchfield Hill. But Judge Chris Johnson found the 43-year-old guilty and gave him a 12-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and a 12-month driving ban.
Property businessman Sharma, of Great Moor Road, Pattingham, got into a row with Mr Dolman at 3.30pm on May 8 after refusing to accept a parking ticket issued for leaving his Range Rover blocking a fire escape.
He rushed from the shop towards Mr Dolman as he was attaching the ticket to his rear windscreen, swearing and acting aggressively. Sharma got into his car and drove towards Mr Dolman at 'walking pace' knocking him over. The car stayed over the pensioner's legs briefly before Sharma reversed away and out of the car park.
Mr Dolman said: "I'd just finished putting the ticket on the car when he came storming down the car park swearing, telling me to remove the ticket. I told him I wasn't allowed to but he called me a liar, took the ticket off and threw it to the floor. He said 'there, it's not issued any more is it'."
Mr Dolman described the moment he thought he was going to be crushed by the car. "Right away I thought he was going to drive over my legs, I thought my body was going under the car. I was terrified."
Sharma claimed he was merely manoeuvring his car to leave. But the judge, at Walsall Magistrates Court, did not believe his version.
He said: "He was not able to accept he was aggressive and was not prepared to accept he threw the parking ticket to the ground, as mentioned by witnesses. Therefore I discount Mr Sharma's evidence."
Sharma must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay a £1,000 court charge, £705 in costs and £100 compensation to Mr Dolman. He shares the Lord of Wolverhampton title with his brother.
