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Cardiff hit-and-runs: Matthew Tvrdon on 'journey of mayhem' Cardiff hit-and-runs: Matthew Tvrdon on 'journey of mayhem'
(35 minutes later)
A hit-and-run driver killed a mother-of-three after deliberately setting out to hit her and her children like "skittles", Cardiff Crown Court heard.A hit-and-run driver killed a mother-of-three after deliberately setting out to hit her and her children like "skittles", Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Matthew Tvrdon, 31, drove his van on a "journey of mayhem" for eight miles for nearly 30 minutes.Matthew Tvrdon, 31, drove his van on a "journey of mayhem" for eight miles for nearly 30 minutes.
Karina Menzies, 31, died and 13 others were hurt at five locations in Cardiff.Karina Menzies, 31, died and 13 others were hurt at five locations in Cardiff.
Tvrdon has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and seven counts of attempted murder. He is being sentenced.Tvrdon has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and seven counts of attempted murder. He is being sentenced.
Seven children were among those hurt as Tvrdon, who has paranoid schizophrenia, drove his van into them on 19 October. Seven children were among those hurt as Tvrdon, who has paranoid schizophrenia, drove his white three-tonne Iveco van into them on 19 October.
Ms Menzies was killed as she walked close to Ely fire station.Ms Menzies was killed as she walked close to Ely fire station.
The court was told of witnesses who described seeing Ms Menzies and her children hit by a white van.The court was told of witnesses who described seeing Ms Menzies and her children hit by a white van.
The van veered off the road and straight into Ms Menzies and her children.The van veered off the road and straight into Ms Menzies and her children.
Prosecutors said witnesses had described how he "deliberately" set out to hit them like "skittles" before turning around and running her over again.Prosecutors said witnesses had described how he "deliberately" set out to hit them like "skittles" before turning around and running her over again.
Another witness described how Ms Menzies was semi-conscious and her children were calling out for their mother.Another witness described how Ms Menzies was semi-conscious and her children were calling out for their mother.
Tvrdon, of no fixed address, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and guilty of seven counts of attempted murder at a hearing last month.Tvrdon, of no fixed address, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and guilty of seven counts of attempted murder at a hearing last month.
He also pleaded not guilty to murder and another six counts of attempted murder. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of grievous bodily harm, five counts of actual bodily harm, two attempted grievous bodily harm, one count of assault by beating and one charge of dangerous driving.
Before prosecutors outlined what happened on 19 October, Tvrdon pleaded guilty to two further charges - one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and and one assault by beating. Ian Murphy QC, prosecuting, said it was accepted Tvrdon was "suffering from an abnormality of mental function" which substantially impaired his ability for rational judgement.
The court was then shown a video of Tvrdon driving his Renault Clio "erratically and dangerously" on the wrong side of the road on Western Avenue. The court was shown a video of Tvrdon driving his black Renault Clio "erratically and dangerously" on the wrong side of the road in Western Avenue on 19 October.
He is then seen driving to Cowbridge Road West where he parks it and gets into a white van despite his girlfriend trying to stop him. He sped through red lights, drove at speed into oncoming traffic and mounted grass verges.
The court heard it was the start of a "journey of mayhem" covering eight miles and taking nearly half-an-hour. He was then seen driving to the car park of the West End social club in Cowbridge Road West where he parks it and gets into the van, despite his girlfriend trying to stop him.
All victims were unknown to Tvrdon. He tried to kill at least one member of five family groups. The prosecution said it was the start of a "journey of mayhem" covering eight miles and taking nearly half-an-hour.
The prosecution says the first victims were at Crossways Road in the Ely area of the city. The court was told all victims were unknown to Tvrdon, who tried to kill at least one adult in each of the five family groups he targeted:
A woman and her two children were injured. One child was dragged under the van but "eventually rolled from under it". Gasps of horror came from the public gallery as mobile phone footage of this incident was shown in court.
After that, on the same road, a couple walking their child in a buggy near a reptile centre were targeted, the court heard. The child was catapulted out of the pushchair. Tvrdon left the scene and was brought to a stop by police near the Baron's Court restaurant in Penarth Road.
The mother's written evidence told how she thought the van was going to go over the overturned pram but it slowed and avoided it. 'Horrendous'
Ms Menzies was the next person Tvrdon drove at, the court heard, before a third incident at Grand Avenue in Ely where a female and two children were hit on a zebra crossing. He attempted to resist arrest and tried to assault a police officer with a crook lock, before being sprayed with CS gas.
A statement from the mother said: "I saw a big white van coming towards me. By the time I saw this it was only a matter of feet away from us. It had reached the zebra crossing out of nowhere." Tvrdon, who tested negative for drink and drugs, told police he was under stress at work and had split up from his girlfriend.
A witness said the youngest girl was "crying for her mother" and complaining about her leg and arm after the incident. He told police what he had done was a "horrendous" thing and in his version of events, he said he felt "hazy" and felt he had been personally threatened by others.
During the previous hearing, prosecutors said they would consult the victims' families before deciding whether or not to press ahead with a murder trial. Tvrdon had been sleeping rough for a few days in the run up to the incidents.
The BBC understands that following that consultation, the decision was made not to put Tvrdon on trial for the murder of Ms Menzies but to accept the plea of guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. When he got into the van that day, he told police he intended to drive to a local industrial estate and go to sleep in it.
The court heard he had not been feeling "right about himself or his mind and this was not a feeling he had before in his previous mental health episodes".
He felt like his memory "had been erased", felt awful about what happened and felt guilt.
He told police that during the incident at the fire station he had experienced a "fit of fury", the court was told.
Talking about the attacks generally, Tvrdon, who has no previous convictions, told police: "It felt like what I wanted to do was kill these people but in actually doing it, it felt really wrong," the court heard.
Ms Menzies' brother Craig and sister Sam were in court for the sentencing.Ms Menzies' brother Craig and sister Sam were in court for the sentencing.