A Carlisle man has been jailed after attacking another man with a van in January.
Ricky Murphy, 29, of Ferguson Place, Carlisle was sentenced to nine years in prison today (23 Sept), following a week-long trial at Carlisle Crown Court in June.
A jury found him guilty of grievous bodily harm.
The sentencing follows an incident in Carlisle on 4 January 2026 at around 3pm, where officers attended reports of an injured man on Prescott Road.
From enquires carried out at the scene, it was it was established that Murphy deliberately used a vehicle to strike the victim as part of an ongoing feud.
Officers quickly identified the vehicle used and started to gather CCTV to show the vehicles movements leading up to the incident, showing the vehicle mount the pavement to strike the victim.
The victim suffered serious injuries as a result which left him in a critical condition.
A search for the vehicle commenced and officers then received a report of a vehicle, matching the description of Murphy’s, on fire in a park in Carlisle. When officers arrived at the scene the van had been burnt out and was significantly fire damaged.
Murphy was then located at his home address some hours later that same night where he was arrested.
Officers seized Murphys’s phone which showed a google search of ‘how long jail sentence for running someone over’.
Detective Inspector Lee Brumpton said:
“This was an extremely serious incident which could easily have had fatal consequences.
“Murphy carried out this act deliberately using an extreme level of violence in broad daylight in a residential area, with witnesses.
“I hope the sentence handed out today shows how seriously incidents like this are taken by both the courts and police.”
“Following this attack, officers worked tirelessly to piece together exactly what had happened, gathering CCTV footage, forensic evidence and digital material.
“Murphy went to considerable lengths in an attempt to distance himself from what had happened, but the evidence gathered by the investigation team presented a clear picture of his actions that day and proved crucial in securing Murphy’s conviction.
“There is simply no excuse for the level of violence Murphy inflicted on the victim, Cumbria Constabulary will not tolerate this type of behaviour and will deal with it robustly."