Uber driver who 'deliberately' ran over customer after he was sick in the back seat of his car 'did not see' the 6ft man, murder trial hears

An Uber driver accused of deliberately mowing down and killing a customer who was sick in his car 'did not see' the 6ft man, a trial has heard. 

Hayadulla Turkmani, 53, ran over Michael Ashton, 28, after dropping him off outside his home in Basildon, Essex, just before midnight on September 26 last year, jurors were told.

Council worker Mr Ashton and his partner went into the home to get cleaning wipes, which they used to clean up the 'small amount' of vomit on the back seat. 

Just moments later, there was a collision involving the Uber vehicle, which left Mr Ashton with a catastrophic brain injury. He died in hospital on October 4.

Aided by an Afghan interpreter, Turkmani said he told Mr Ashton's partner that 'someone' had run in front of his car.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Andrew Jackson, he insisted he did not realise the person was Mr Ashton.

He told the jury he was 'panicked and frightened' and claimed he did not see the six-foot man.

Turkmani, who the court heard fled Afghanistan in 1999 to escape Taliban persecution, denies charges of murder, manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving.

He told the court that Mr Ashton shouted at him and began running towards the car after a row over the passenger vomiting. 

Basildon Crown Court heard Turkmani reversed away because he feared for his safety, but then felt a 'jerk' and believed he had struck an object.

Giving evidence, Turkmani said: 'I was reversing to get away, I was panicked and frightened as he was shouting and running towards me, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.'

Asked why he had sworn during the confrontation, he replied: 'Because he didn't clean the car, he swore at me and he slammed the door.'

While accepting he was 'annoyed', Turkmani rejected the prosecution's suggestion that he was angry enough to deliberately target Mr Ashton.

He said it was only after getting out of the vehicle that he realised someone was trapped underneath.

Turkmani told the court he retrieved a jack in an attempt to help.

Judge Samantha Cohen asked whether the car's headlights were on, whether the doors locked automatically and whether the vehicle was fitted with reversing cameras.

Turkmani said they were and described the incident as an 'unusual situation'.

The court also heard Turkmani, who belongs to Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic minority, fled the country in 1999 to escape Taliban persecution before becoming a British citizen in October 2011.

Explaining his reaction after the collision, he said: 'I was very affected in the war, there was a lot of fighting.

'When I saw there was somebody under the car I froze. I didn't know what to do.'

Jackson suggested the 'jerk' Turkmani described was the sensation of braking before deliberately driving into Mr Ashton, rather than an accidental collision while reversing.

The prosecutor asked: 'You are not seriously suggesting to this court you did not see, hear, or feel that you had hit a six-foot man?'

Turkmani replied: 'I didn't know that is what happened.'

The jury also heard evidence that vehicle data showed the accelerator was 'flat down' at one stage during the incident.

Turkmani said he could not recall when this occurred.

The trial continues.

READ MORE: Uber driver deliberately ran over a customer after he was sick in the back seat of his car, murder trial hears