Van driver cleared of murder after fatal roundabout confrontation in Oldham

Wednesday, 1 October 2025 15:55

By David Murphy

A Chadderton business owner has been acquitted of murder following the death of a teaching assistant during a violent road rage incident in Oldham.

A man who struck and killed a father with his van following a heated confrontation at a roundabout has been found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Andrew Robson, 33, was on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court after hitting 50-year-old Paul Bowles with his vehicle at the Elk Mill roundabout in Royton on 26 March this year. The incident followed a roadside altercation between the pair after what prosecutors described as a road rage dispute.

Jurors heard that both men had exited their vehicles and began physically fighting at traffic lights near the McDonald's on Jardine Way in Chadderton. Robson, who owns Chadderton Fencing, got back into his van and drove at Mr Bowles, causing fatal head injuries. Mr Bowles was pronounced dead at 7.26pm, just over 30 minutes after the incident.

Robson left the scene and made arrangements for someone else to recover his van, which has never been traced. He later handed himself in to police, but answered ‘no comment’ during interviews.

During the trial, Robson told jurors he had been terrified and “just wanted to get away” from the scene. “I didn’t intentionally hit him. I was scared to death,” he said.

His family described Mr Bowles as “a kind, loving, family man and true gentleman who always put others before himself.” They added that he had “a brilliant mind and generous heart” and would be “missed greatly by all his family and friends.”