Fatal collision was ‘classic accident’, road rage murder trial hears

A fatal collision following a “road rage” fight was an accident, a murder trial jury has heard.

Andrew Robson, 33, is accused of intentionally swerving his Ford Transit van towards Paul Bowles, 50, and knocking him to the ground before he drove off.

Shortly before, the men had got out of their vehicles as they pulled up to roundabout traffic lights in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, at about 6.40pm on March 26.

Prosecutors say Robson returned to his van after blows were exchanged and then deliberately veered to the left in the direction of Mr Bowles who was still in the road.

Robson claims he did not see him or realised he had collided with him.

On Thursday, his barrister Simon Csoka KC in his closing speech reminded the jury of the evidence of the prosecution’s road collision expert which said tyre marks at the scene were consistent with “torque steer”.

He said such an unintentional pull to the side due to too much acceleration was “classic accident” and involved someone driving in “suboptimal conditions”.

Mr Csoka said he was not asking the jury to decide “exactly what sparked this all off”.

He said: “Does it really matter whether it was something Mr Robson did, whether there was a rude gesture, whether someone cut someone up?”

But he said it was “nothing compared to what happened next” when Robson was held in a bear hug and repeatedly punched by a “big, heavy man”.

Mr Csoka said: “When someone is stressed they drive worse.

“When someone is distracted they drive worse,

“When someone is in fear they drive worse,

“If they have just been repeatedly punched to the head, they drive worse.

“You are not here to consider driving offences. You are only here in this trial to consider the charges on the indictment.

“It is for the prosecution to prove this case. The defendant does not have to prove anything at all.

“It is not for me to make you sure of some alternative to what the prosecution say. What’s for me to do is demonstrate that putting together the different strands of the evidence the way the prosecution has done has been extremely selective and ignores part of it such as torque steer – classic accident.

“You need to consider all the evidence, especially the objective evidence such as that of an expert.

“What we say is all of it points towards accident or at the very least leaves open the possibility of accident.

“And if you think there is a possibility this was an accident then you would acquit the defendant on the counts of murder and manslaughter.”

Gordon Cole KC, prosecuting, said it was the Crown’s case that Robson “lost his temper” and intended to inflict, at least, really serious harm to Mr Bowles.

Robson, of Fold Green, Chadderton, denies murder and manslaughter.

The jury is expected to retire on Friday to consider its verdicts.