A MAN who drove into a ‘loving’ father, pushing him backwards into a house, before creating a web of lies to hide his actions, has been found guilty of murder.
Lee Baker, aged 28, was tragically killed on July 21, 2025, when a BMW was deliberately driven into him, causing traumatic head injuries.
Following an earlier argument with three men, and his brother, had been walking along Ormscliffe Road, Rednal, but unbeknownst to them, 29-year-old Michael Povey had heard about the disagreement and was intent on finding the pair.
At around 5.10pm, Povey drove towards the rear of the shops off Ormscliffe Road, where he was seen on CCTV footage to pick up two friends before driving off to find Lee and his brother.
Within seconds, he spotted the brothers in Ormscliffe Road, and Povey drove the BMW deliberately at the brothers.
He mounted the pavement and hit Lee with the vehicle. Fortunately, his brother managed to get out of the way just in time.
After hitting Lee, the BMW continued forward through a hedge and into the front wall of an address on the road.
A post-mortem later found Lee died due to a serious head injury.
Povey, alongside two others inside the car, quickly got out, running off into the street to avoid being caught and only minutes later, Povey walked past the scene of his crime, having removed the high-visibility vest he was wearing.
He returned to his address on Ryde Park Road, where he changed his clothes in an attempt to disguise his appearance.
He then phoned the police, claiming his car had been stolen.
Ringing 999, Povey can be heard telling the call handler, “My car’s just been stolen, and it’s been used to run someone over by the looks of it or put through someone’s house. I’ve gone round there, one of the yobs has jumped in my car, I don’t know which one”.
Further into the call, he stated he was “panicking” saying: “There’s a large crowd gathered there, I’ll be honest, I’m scared to go back around there because someone’s been hurt.”
However, following an investigation, detectives began to unravel his lies.
Body-worn footage showed Povey as he approached officers at the scene, and where he maintained his lies that his car had been stolen.
In CCTV footage recovered, it was discovered that after fleeing the scene, Povey returned to the rear of the shops off Ormscliffe Road, where he can be heard shouting, “I’ve just rammed them with my car.”
Appearing at Birmingham Crown Court on February 6, 29-year-old Povey was found guilty of murder.
He had pleaded guilty to perverting the course of public justice at the start of his trial.
He will next appear at Birmingham Crown Court on April 10 for sentencing.
A tribute released by Lee’s family following his death said: “Lee was a loving son, father, brother and nephew. He was everything to us and will be sadly missed. He was loved by everyone.”
Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell, from West Mercia Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “Our thoughts first and foremost remain with all of Lee’s family, friends, and everyone who knew him.
“Michael Povey used a vehicle as a weapon. He deliberately struck Lee Baker and having done so, he callously fled the scene. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, his first instinct was to lie.
“He tried to play the part of an innocent man, but this couldn’t have been further from the truth.”
