VW van driver who killed Wakefield pensioner claims he stopped to check his phone
A motorist who mowed down and killed a pensioner has denied he was on his phone at the time, claiming he stopped to check his emails seconds before the fatal collision.
Qabir Hussain is accused of causing the death of 85-year-old David Brooke by dangerous driving.
Hussain accepts killing the pensioner on Barnsley Road, Wakefield, in January 2022, but denies he was driving dangerously amid claims he was distracted by his phone at the time.
Thr 54-year-old is standing trial at Leeds Crown Court this week. The Crown says an analysis of his phone showed he was accessing emails 35 seconds before he dialled 999 for an ambulance to attend the scene.
Giving evidence, Hussain told the court he had been travelling to work that morning when his phone “bleeped”.
He said he pulled over on the corner of Pinfold Lane and Barnsley Road to check the email, before setting off again.
Hussain, of Manygates Lane, Wakefield, told the jury that he struggles to read due to dyslexia.
During cross examination, prosecutor Brian Russell asked him why he bothered stopping to check his emails if he struggled to read them.
He responded: “To see if I could recognise anything [of the words].”
Following Mr Brooke’s death, Hussain had been interviewed by police and also told them he had been blinded by the sun in the moments before the collision.
However, it was pointed out that the sun was behind him that morning.
Quizzed by his barrister, Richard Wright KC, Hussain said the road was wet and the glare was “bouncing off the road” that morning.
Mr Brooke had stepped out onto Barnsley Road at the pedestrian crossing near Tesco at around 11am on the morning of January 17, 2022.
Hussain’s VW Caddy van was found to be travelling “moderately” over the speed limit, but the traffic lights were on green.
During the collision, Mr Brooke’s head struck the windscreen. Hussain stopped immediately and dialled 999.
Describing the moment to the jury, Mr Hussain said: “The next thing I heard was a bang.
“I had tried to brake but it was too late. It was horrible.”
Calling the emergency services, he added: “I couldn’t hold the phone properly because I was shaking.”
Ambulance staff tried to save Mr Brooke and the air ambulance was called, but he had suffered catastrophic head injuries and went into cardiac arrest. He died at the scene.
The trial continues.