A man who attacked a father and son he had never met before, leaving one of them dead, after they refused to give him a lift as they left for a fishing trip has found guilty of murder.

David and Ryan Ford had met up at the former’s home on St John’s Road in Sheffield and were loading their fishing gear into David’s car for their regular Saturday morning outing when Jermaine Richards approached them and demanded a lift to the Manor Park Centre.

As Richards was a total stranger, both father and son refused to drive him, and Richards became aggressive, punching Ryan before David pushed him away.

Richards fled, but a few minutes later there was a further confrontation when the pair spotted him getting into another man’s car and demanding to be driven away.

Richards got out of the car and beat the father and son to the ground, then stole David’s Kia Sportage and ran him over before fleeing the scene.

David died as a result of the collision, and Ryan ended up in hospital with serious head injuries.

Richards was arrested after driving to a house on City Road and getting into an argument with the occupants, who called the police.

He was today found guilty of murder and assault at Sheffield Crown Court by a jury.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Knowles of South Yorkshire Police said: “This was a horrific incident which has left a family suffering immense grief. David and Ryan were frequent fishermen and this was meant to be just another father-and-son day out which was halted by the actions of one man in the worst possible way.

“We hope that seeing Richards convicted will allow the family to start to move on from what happened that day. Seeing him sentenced will not bring back what they have lost. But we hope that it can help them move forward.

“I would like to pay tribute to David’s wife and family who showed extraordinary restraint throughout the trial, despite Richards doing his best to dismiss and excuse his actions throughout the trial.”

Richards, 31, of Wordsworth Drive, Sheffield, has been remanded in custody and now awaits sentencing at the same court at a later date.

Stranger murdered father and attacked son as they left for a fishing trip in Yorkshire because they refused to give him a lift