AN alleged drugs boss has been convicted of murdering a father-of-three by ramming him off his moped.
Kerrin Repman, 29, suffered catastrophic injuries when he was struck by a BMW being driven by Keith McCarthy in April 2020.
McCarthy, 42, fled to Ireland as Kerrin was pronounced dead at the scene in Marine Parade, Dovercourt.
A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court unanimously decided McCarthy, of Hordle Street, Dovercourt, was guilty of murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent yesterday.
McCarthy looked stunned and shook his head as the jury of eight men and four women delivered their verdict.
Amjad Malik KC, prosecuting, said 29-year-old Kerrin’s death was the “obvious and intended consequence” of the defendant’s driving.
The seven-day trial heard Kerrin, a chef, had allegedly racked up a drugs debt and took to selling illicit goods to pay his boss back.
However, McCarthy had become angry at money owed to him by this same person, and had begun to direct his anger towards Kerrin.
There were a series of encounters between the pair in the days prior to the fatal incident but the final, deadly meeting occurred shortly before 3pm on April 15, 2020.
Mr Malik said McCarthy had come across Kerrin riding his moped in Fronks Road and had performed a reckless 180-degree turn to pursue him.
An expert told the court the moped hit an average speed of 55mph in the 30mph limit as Kerrin attempted to flee, but McCarthy’s pursuit saw him reach 80mph.
The chase came to a fatal end when the BMW overtook a stationary car and, when cutting back in near the Cliff Road junction, rammed the back of the moped.
Kerrin was catapulted onto the road surface and was declared dead minutes later.
Jane Bickerstaff KC, for McCarthy, disputed this was her client’s intention, adding there was only 45 seconds between the pair first encountering each other.
She said: “That is the maximum amount of time this defendant could have had to form a murderous intent.”
A 79-year-old woman was left with lifechanging injuries after the moped skidded across the carriageway and struck her.
She was taken to hospital where she received treatment for fractures to both ankles, her left lower leg, her left forearm and left knee.
More to come.
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