Skegness: Man ran over friend in cannabis-induced psychosis

Jonathon Wilson admitting killing his friend James Britton

A cannabis user who ran over his friend in a stolen van and nearly killed another man while experiencing a drug-induced psychosis has been jailed.

Jonathon Wilson, 34, deliberately reversed into James Britton, 37, in Skegness on 10 November last year.

Wilson was charged with murder but prosecutors accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He was jailed for 14 and a half years at Lincoln Crown Court.

Wilson, of Woodthorpe Avenue, Boston, was also sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm to Jamie Cram, who suffered life-threatening abdominal injuries when Wilson hit him in a stolen Ford Transit van at 40pmh in Everingtons Lane before crashing into Mr Britton.

The court heard Wilson had been experiencing paranoid delusions that he was being chased by people who wanted to kill him in the weeks before the incident.

James Britton was described by his sons as the "perfect dad"

Prosecutors said that as Wilson drove off after hitting the two men he shouted "that's what you deserve now".

He was arrested 15 minutes later after a police chase.

The court heard Mr Britton suffered multiple injuries and died eight days later in hospital.

In a statement read out in court, he was described as the "perfect dad" by his twin sons, Jimmy and Harry.

Nigel Edwards KC, in mitigation, said: "Mr Wilson would like to offer an explanation, but he can't.

"He can't explain, other than the drugs, why it happened."

Wilson had consumed cannabis with friends without any problems until October last year when he suddenly felt "his head was going to explode," the barrister added.

Judge Simon Hirst accepted Wilson was suffering from a psychotic condition at the time of the killing, but said this had been caused by his choice "to consume cannabis on a regular basis" from the age of 14.

He added: "Cannabis-induced psychosis is relatively common and has catastrophic consequences."