Rednal man Convicted of Murder

On 6^th February, following a 13-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court, 29-year-old Michael Povey was convicted of the murder of 28-year-old Lee Baker.

Instructed by Lucy Ray of the CPS, Phil Bradley KC and Sarah Allen prosecuted Povey, who deliberately drove his car into Lee Baker, causing catastrophic brain injuries that led to his death. 

In the late afternoon of 21^st July last year associates of Michael Povey became involved in a running battle with Lee Baker and his twin brother Luke. After an initial fight, both sides to the argument regrouped and re-armed – the Baker brothers with a knife and hammer and Povey’s associates with their own weapons. 

Michael Povey, whose young son had been playing in the area, was telephoned and drove the short distance from his home address in Ryde Park Road to the scene of the disturbance by a row of shops on Ormscliffe Road in Rednal.  Once at the shops, Povey collected two of his associates and drove them at speed in search of the Baker brothers. Within seconds of leaving the shops, the brothers were spotted in Ormscliffe Road. An eyewitness described the brothers walking backwards towards and on to a footpath as Povey’s BMW shot across the junction.

Expert collision investigators estimated that Povey’s BMW was driven at between 30 and 37mph directly across the junction and onto the footpath before careering across a residential garden and into a house.  As it mounted the path, Luke Baker managed to jump out of the way. Lee Baker did not and was thrown into the air and on to the windscreen of the BMW and then to the floor.  He sustained catastrophic brain injuries and was pronounced dead later that evening.

Immediately following the crash, Povey and his associates starburst.  Povey (who wore a distinctive hi-vis work jacket) went back to the shops to collect his young son and then walked past the crash scene and the stricken Lee Baker. He was careful to remove his hi-vis jacket before doing so. Once home, he telephoned the police telling them that his BMW had been stolen and used to ‘ram’ somebody.  He then changed his clothes completely and returned to the scene, where he feigned sympathy to Lee Baker’s brother Luke and lied for his associates, whom Luke saw in the car.

Povey was arrested at the scene – at that stage for attempted murder. During 11 police interviews over several days, he maintained that he was not the driver – telling the police that whoever was driving had clearly weaponised the car.

After several hours of deliberating, the jury found Povey guilty of murder by a majority of 10 – 2.  He will be sentenced by His Honour Judge Richard Bond on April 10^th. 

Man convicted of killing victim by mowing him down with car – West Midlands Police

Birmingham man killed dad after deliberately ramming him in BMW – BirminghamLive