A FATHER and son have been jailed for attacking a woman with a van in a life-threatening assault.

Elizabeth McGregor was forced to crawl under a caravan moments after being struck by a vehicle at a piece of land at Crook of Devon, Kinross-shire, on October 8, 2019.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Monday how moments after she sought refuge under the caravan, Mrs McGregor tried to escape from the scene.

She crawled out from underneath the caravan and headed towards her Mercedes C200 car. But as she was getting ready to escape, the van hit the passenger door of her motor.

Mrs McGregor managed to get away and drove herself to Perth Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency department for treatment.

The court heard how the police managed to track down Mrs McGregor’s assailants – 23-year-old van driver Hugh McPhee Junior and his dad, Hugh Senior, 57 – and brought them to justice.

The story emerged after McPhee Junior, of Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire; and McPhee Senior, of Kelty, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mrs McGregor to the danger of her life.

The pair admitted to driving a van at her and striking her with it before colliding with her car.

Describing the assault, Ms Maguire told the court: “She could hear that the sound of the van’s engine was revving excessively. Elizabeth McGregor saw the van move forward and felt it strike her hip and leg on the left side of her body.

“As a result of the impact, her left elbow made contact with the bonnet of the van. Following the impact, the van stopped suddenly. This caused Elizabeth McGregor to slide off the front of the van and hit the ground.

“She managed to get back to her feet and position herself behind her caravan. She saw the van reverse.

“The van moved forward once again. To avoid being struck again, Elizabeth McGregor dropped to the ground and crawled under the rear of her touring caravan.

“Elizabeth McGregor managed to make her way from under her caravan to her car. On getting inside and starting the engine, she felt an impact, as the van driven by the accused Hugh McPhee Junior struck the nearside passenger door of her vehicle, a black Mercedes C200 motor car, with the front of the van.

“Elizabeth McGregor managed to drive away from the locus in her car. She made her way to Perth Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency department.”

Ms McGuire told the court that the origins of the potentially lethal assault arose from an argument Mrs McGregor had with McPhee senior.

The court was told that the pair were staying at a site for the travelling community in Crook of Devon and fell out over McPhee’s decision to place a caravan close to her site.

The court heard that Mrs McGregor believed that McPhee didn’t have any right to place a caravan at the spot.

Judge Lord Beckett heard how at 10pm on October 8, 2019, Mrs McGregor was about to go away from the site to attend a family funeral when she saw McPhee Junior and McPhee senior.

Ms Maguire added: “Both accused were screaming ‘whore’, ‘prostitute’."

The court also heard that after Mrs McGregor arrived at Perth Royal Infirmary, she told doctors that she had been struck by a van.

Medical staff gave her treatment and she was later released from hospital. Police traced McPhee senior and junior and took them into custody. Officers gathered enough evidence to prove their guilt.

McPhee senior’s lawyer, Raymond Mcllwham, and McPhee Junior’s advocate, Niall McCluskey, asked Lord Beckett to continue bail for their clients.

However, Lord Beckett refused, saying: “I am going to adjourn sentence for the purpose of obtaining criminal justice social work reports in both your cases.

“The high likelihood is that a prison sentence will be passed in these cases so I am not prepared to grant bail. You will be remanded in custody.”

The pair will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on November 4.