Jury retires in trial of motorist who denies causing friend's death by dangerous driving
A jury in the trial of a man who denies causing the death of a close friend and fellow motorist by dangerous driving on the Wigton bypass has retired to consider its verdict.
Liam Dixon, 27, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court.
Dixon admits dangerous driving having been travelling at least 100mph on a damp stretch of the A596, between the Kirkbride and Spittal Farm junctions, on February 3, 2018. But he but denies his dangerous driving caused the death of his friend Steven Parker.
Mr Parker, aged 23 and from Wigton, died after losing control of his powerful BMW 335D X Drive car, which had been travelling close behind Dixon’s modified Vauxhall Corsa moments before.
A jury of six men and six woman has heard evidence from a police collision investigator who concluded the vehicles, captured on an oncoming motorist’s dash cam immediately before the tragedy, were travelling “most likely around 118mph as probably a minimum”.
Dixon, of Throstle Avenue, Wigton, denies braking while Mr Parker’s vehicle was behind him, and refutes the prosecution’s allegation that he and his close friend were engaged in any kind of high speed “challenge” or “face-off”.
As he summed up the case evidence this afternoon, Recorder Michael Duck QC told the jury: “It is very much what your view of the facts is that matters.”
Recorder Duck had earlier stated: “These cases are emotional for all parties. It is important that you put aside emotion. You have taken an oath to try the case by the evidence, not emotion. It is evidence that matters.”
Jurors then left the court to begin their deliberations.
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