A MAN from Rhyl who hit his brother with his van in a car park in the town has been spared jail.

Paul Owen, 68, of Lon Rhosyn, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for one year, at Mold Crown Court today (February 29).

He had previously admitted a charge of driving a motor vehicle dangerously.

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Prosecuting, Oliver King told the court that the defendant and his brother, Peter Owen, fell out last June after an ongoing family feud dating back many years.

They had not spoken to each other since then until they both found themselves collecting orders at the Screwfix store in Rhyl at about 5pm on August 3, 2023.

Peter Owen made a comment to the defendant about their feud, before later telling him that he is a “vile piece of s***”.

An argument broke out between the brothers, both of whom were by then by their respective vehicles in the store’s car park.

While Paul Owen was sat in the driver’s seat of his van, Peter Owen approached his vehicle, and asked him “what he was supposed to have done to cause this feud”.

Paul Owen then closed his driver’s door, and reversed his van out of a parking space, and while his brother was still remonstrating in front of his vehicle, the defendant drove directly forward.

This caused Peter Owen to bounce off the van’s bonnet and on to the ground, before the defendant told him: “Get up and stop messing about”.

Peter Owen suffered abrasions to his elbows as a result, while his brother was later arrested at his home address.

When interviewed, he denied his van made contact with his brother, but after seeing footage of the incident captured on closed circuit television, he began “gasping” and became “emotional”.

Though, he maintained that it was “more of a miscalculation than a deliberate act”.

Defending Paul Owen, who had no previous convictions, cautions or reprimands, Thomas McLoughlin said his behaviour was “clearly out of character” and “will not be repeated”.

With this in mind, as well as his guilty plea and his previous good character, Mr McLoughlin asked if the court could suspend his custodial sentence.

Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry agreed, but ordered Paul Owen to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, and disqualified him from driving for a year.

Judge Parry told him: “It’s extremely sad to hear of two brothers involved in such a long-running dispute. You are mature men; not boys in your teens.

“The consequences could have been so much worse. Mercifully, the injuries were not serious.

“You’ve got experience of life. Simply, use it.

“Do that work, knock it on the head, and do one other thing – just go and find your brother, and shake his hand, for goodness’ sake.”

Paul Owen will also pay a statutory surcharge and £420 in court costs.