Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver denies death crash charge

A TAXI driver was talking on his mobile phone when he ran into a motorcycle at high speed killing the rider, a court was told today. Paul Knox, 31, of Essex Road, Stamford, hit Adao Jose Silveira Garcia from behind at 88mph in his Jaguar S Type after overtaking another car, it was alleged.

Garcia, a 55-year-old Brazilian national who lived in London, was thrown from his Honda CB 500 machine and died at the scene. A jury at Leicester Crown Court was told the accident took place on the southbound A1 near Tickencote in the early hours of June 30 last year.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, said: "As Knox overtook the other car, had he been driving as a careful and competent driver, he would have observed the rear light of the motorbike but he did not. "We say that he was not paying attention to the road because he was speaking on his mobile phone at the time."

Although the piece of road where the accident happened was unlit, Mr Garcia's rear light should have been visible for at least 1,000 metres. He was also wearing a high-visibility jacket and had reflective strips on the motorbike and on his boots.

But Mrs Bradley said Knox failed to see Mr Garcia, who was travelling at 35 to 40mph, when he overtook a Renault Clio at about 3.15am. "He began the manoeuvre to pull back into the nearside carriageway but did not observe Mr Garcia's rear light until it was far too late," she added.

"He should have overtaken not only the Clio but the motorbike as well. He was only 60 metres from Mr Garcia when he started to take evasive action but it was too late."

The rear tyre of the bike "became embedded" in the front bumper of the Jaguar and both vehicles ended up in a lay-by 245 metres from where the impact took place. Mr Garcia was thrown clear only to be hit by the Clio as he lay in the road.

Mobile phone records later showed Knox was having a conversation with business partner Catherine Rowley at the time. Mrs Bradley said Knox usually used a bluetooth headset but had forgotten to charge it.

When a police officer asked Knox at the scene of the crash if he had a mobile phone he replied: "Yes - but it's back at the office." He later changed his story and admitted his phone was connected to Miss Rowley's when the accident happened but claimed it was in the Jaguar's ashtray with the loudspeaker switched off.

He told officers they had been having a conversation using the loudspeaker shortly before the crash but claimed he had turned it off because of "noise" at Miss Rowley's end.

But Mrs Bradley said evidence showed the ashtray was closed when the crash took place. Knox denies causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial continues.

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