Driver jailed for life for dragging man to death under car

Martin Eastwood, 22, used a stolen vehicle as a weapon to kill 25-year-old Liam Dent in revenge for a minor confrontation outside a pub.
Martin Eastwood was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years (Metropolitan Police/PA)
PA Media
Emily Pennink6 April 2022

A driver who mowed down a pedestrian and dragged him more than half-a-mile has been jailed for at least 30 years for the “cruel” murder.

Martin Eastwood, 22, used a stolen Ford S-Max as a weapon to kill 25-year-old Liam Dent in revenge for a minor confrontation outside a pub.

Having knocked Mr Dent down, Eastwood, from Epsom, Surrey, drove at speeds of up to 32mph, dragging his screaming victim along in the early hours of July 26 2019.

His friend Daniel Morris, 22, who admitted manslaughter, drove behind in a Volvo, frantically honking his horn for him to stop.

Liam Dent was murdered in the early hours of July 26 2019 (Metropolitan Police/PA)
PA Media

By the time Mr Dent finally became free of the Ford, he was still conscious but suffering from horrific injuries.

His family rushed to the scene in Chessington, south-west London, where he was pronounced dead.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Eastwood was found guilty of murder.

On Wednesday, Judge Wendy Joseph jailed him for life with a minimum term of 30 years.

The court heard Eastwood had been convicted of two earlier incidents in which he used a car as a weapon.

Judge Joseph handed Eastwood concurrent sentences for grievous bodily harm with intent, attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and robbery.

No-one should die like that. No mother should have to sit in the road with her dying son on whom those injuries had been inflicted. There is no way around it, this was a cruel death

Judge Wendy Joseph

On the killing, she said: “If he did not realise at first someone was dragged under the car he must have realised it almost immediately after.”

She noted an expert who had said the presence of a body would have had an effect “equivalent of driving with the handbrake on”.

The judge said Eastwood must have heard his victim screaming.

Chronicling Mr Dent’s extensive injuries, she said: “No-one should die like that. No mother should have to sit in the road with her dying son on whom those injuries had been inflicted.

“There is no way around it, this was a cruel death.”

The judge banned Eastwood from driving for 10 years upon his release.

On the night this happened, when I went to my son lying in the road, I could see all his injuries, Martin, I could see he had to be in so much pain from beginning to end

Liam Dent's mother Stacey Dent

Morris, 22, of no fixed abode, was jailed for five-and-a-half years for his role in the killing.

Judge Joseph told him: “I accept that as Mr Eastwood drove off with Liam trapped under the S-Max you were trying to get him to stop with repeated and frantic honking as you went along.”

Eastwood’s girlfriend, Jasmine Robinson, 19, of Epsom, Surrey, was found guilty of assisting an offender.

She was sentenced to two years custody suspended for two years.

As Eastwood was sentenced, a woman screamed in the public gallery and Mr Dent’s family became emotional.

Earlier, his mother Stacey Dent addressed his killer in the dock as she detailed the impact of his death on the family, including his young son.

She said: “On the night this happened, when I went to my son lying in the road, I could see all his injuries, Martin, I could see he had to be in so much pain from beginning to end.

“I could see immediately despite the attempts to keep him with us that he was not going to survive and my heart was completely ripped apart and it remains that way. I cry every single day.

Martin Eastwood should never be allowed a single day of normal life. He robbed my son's life, his children have been robbed of a father and me of my son

Liam Dent's mother Stacey Dent

“I tried in the beginning to convince my children that Liam would have been unconscious on impact when he drove into him.

“But the evidence rolled out in court and it proved the absolute worst it could be. He was tortured and he was left for dead screaming for help.

“Why couldn’t you have just stopped and spared my son his life?

“Martin Eastwood should never be allowed a single day of normal life. He robbed my son’s life, his children have been robbed of a father and me of my son.

“On more than one occasion, Martin, you choose not to stop and spare my son, you chose to carry on driving with him and taking him to his death.”

Prior to the fatal incident, the court heard that in September 2018, Eastwood drove a stolen vehicle at a cyclist, knocking him to the ground and causing him multiple fractures.

In April 2019, he drove a stolen vehicle at a man, knocking him to the ground and causing him abrasions.

Jurors heard how the murder of Mr Dent had taken place following a confrontation involving Mr Dent and his friends outside the Lucky Rover pub in Chessington.

The Ford was later found burnt out but its telematics system was recovered, containing vital data establishing the route, speed and nature of the driving.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in