'˜No memories' of horrific accident on Wrenthorpe bypass

A man flung from the driver's seat of a high-performance car when it crashed and flew into the air killing a passenger has no recollection of the event, a jury heard.
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Thomas Jessop, 28, lost control of his BMW M3 as he drove along the Wrenthorpe bypass on April 18, 2015, and his passenger, David Thompson, 35, died a month later from his injuries. The prosecution at Leeds Crown Court claims Jessop and another man, Alexander Clacker, 23, were racing each other at the time of the incident.

PC Fiona Hoodless, who investigated the crash, said in a police interview Clacker had told her he passed Jessop’s BMW but indicated he did not want to race when the other driver appeared to gesture.

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Questioned by prosecutor Simon Waley about her interview with Jessop, she said: “We asked if he was responsible for the collision. He said he did not know and could not remember the few hours before it.”

Jessop suffered extensive injuries when he was flung from the car, including a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

The court previously heard evidence from Clacker’s passenger, Rachel Lloyd, that she saw the speedometer of his Mitsubishi Evo reach 140mph.

Keith Rayner, a civilian crash investigator at West Yorkshire Police, who examined the collision, told the court “the view a passenger would have may not necessarily be an accurate view”. But he said the figure was only likely to be 5mph to 10mph less than it appeared on the dial to the passenger.

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The jury was told that neither defendant had any previous convictions or endorsements on their driving licences.

Both Jessop of Blenheim Chase, Huddersfield, and Clacker, of First Avenue, Wakefield, have pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial continues.