31172-52Matt McHugh was just 12 years old when a Swindon bouncer ran him over and left him for dead.

He knew the man was called Jamie Manderson, but had never seen his face until he saw it staring out from the front of the Evening Advertiser last week.

Last Thursday Manderson was jailed for six months after clocking up his 43rd driving conviction.

But according to Matt and his mum Pat, Manderson's sentence does not befit his crimes. Matt, 20, of Marlborough Road, Old Town, said he cannot remember anything about the accident which rendered him unconscious in intensive care eight years ago.

He said: "The last thing I remember before the accident was cycling home after being at my friend's house. The next thing I knew I was in hospital. The doctors said it was amazing I hadn't died.

"I must have been lucky because all I ended up with were a few lacerations on my head and back."

Matt was hit by a car driven by Manderson in William Street. His body shattered the windscreen and he was catapulted 40ft by the impact.

Matt, who works at APS Mortgages, in Dorcan, said: "I had known Manderson's name for all these years but had never known what he looked like.

"It was quite shocking when I saw the Adver last Friday reporting on his conviction. It's unbelievable he has got 43 convictions. It makes me wonder what number I was.

"I think someone must have been watching over me. Apparently when I was in hospital I sat up and said, 'don't worry, I've spoken to grandad and everything will be okay'.

"I don't remember doing it at all. It is weird though as my grandad had died, so I wonder if I had a near death experience."

Pat, 42, director of a mortgage brokerage, described the awful sight of seeing Matt lying close to death in the road back in 1996. "He was late getting home so I went out looking for him," she said. "When I got to the street I could see ambulances and paramedics all around. There was Matt with blood coming from his ears and mouth. It was awful.

"We were told to prepare for the worst. If Matt survived doctors thought he would be brain damaged.

"When I saw the Adver I felt so angry Manderson only got six months. But at the end of the day, Matt's alive. That's all that matters."

The Adver reported last Friday how Manderson, 31, of Morris Street, Rodbourne, was jailed after clocking up his 43rd driving conviction.

Swindon magistrates said Manderson, who was banned from driving in September for three years, blatantly ignored rules and regulations.

Alex Emery