How could anybody deliberately drive a car at someone and mow them down? It is the equivalent of pointing a gun at them and pulling the trigger.

And it shows what a complete disregard the person behind that wheel had for the life of a fellow human being.

Today a man who had done nothing wrong, who was simply trying to protect his property lies dead.

He should have expected to live at least another 20 years, maybe another 30, but his life has been cut short.

His family and friends now have to face Christmas and the rests of their lives without him.

The repercussions of what happened on Poets Estate late on Saturday night will reverberate for years to come.

Of course he could have stood by and done nothing and let the thieves steal his car.

But faced with a situation like that he acted as many of us would have done.

What he did was instinctive. What happened next is almost too awful to contemplate.

The person responsible will inevitably be tracked down.

And he will be tried and hopefully jailed for a long time and he should be banned from ever driving a car again.

His life too has been changed irrevocably by the events of this weekend. But unlike the man whose car he stole he is still alive.

He will have time to reflect on what he has done, he will have the opportunity to start again because he will one day have his freedom. He will have another chance

The man whose car he stole will not. His life is over.

It is as unjust as that.