A BMW driver fatally crashed into a teenage girl from Oldham while doing more than double the speed limit and being "chased" by another car, a trial has heard.
At around 1.30pm on February 23 this year Alisha Goup was walking down Rochdale Road to Oldham Sixth Form when she was struck by a car that mounted the pavement.
Omar Choudhury, 21, of Broadway, Royton, and Hamidur Rahman, 23, of Tilbury Street, Oldham, have been charged with causing death by dangerous driving in relation to the incident and are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Court. Both men deny the charges against them.
Opening the case for the prosecution today, Monday, Henry Blackshaw told the court that Alisha, who he said should have been safe, was “killed instantly” by a BMW 3 series coupe being driven by Choudhury.
The court heard that the crash near the Royal Oldham Hospital took place after Choudhury overtook a line of stationary traffic while going 66 mph, more than twice the road’s 30 mph speed limit.
During the overtake Choudhury clipped one of the stationary cars, causing his BMW to "deflect sideways" before "losing control and mounting the pavement", where Alisha was walking.
Mr Blackshaw said Choudhury’s car hit the pavement at "tremendous force", causing Alisha to suffer unsurvivable head injuries.
The court heard how earlier that day Choudhury had been driving around Oldham when he came across the other defendant, Rahman, in a BMW 1 Series.
Mr Blackshaw told the jury that Choudhury and Rahman did not “get on” due to a dispute over a girl Choudhury was dating.
He said the two cars pulled up alongside each other and “cross words” were exchanged.
Rahman then got out of his car and ran towards Choudhury’s vehicle “brandishing a small baseball bat” and began “threatening him”.
Instead of driving off at a "sensible pace" or to a police station, Mr Blackshaw said Choudhury then "took off like a rocket" in his "souped-up illegal modified car". The two cars then began travelling in convoy at "tremendous speed".
The court later heard that the BMW Choudhury was driving had had "substantial modifications" to make it “faster and more powerful” and its exhaust had been bypassed.
Seconds before the crash Rahman turned off down a side street.
Rahman argues he is not responsible for the crash. He told police that he wanted to "scare" Choudhury but not hurt him.
The prosecution says the driving by Rahman also makes him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving because it was a “contributory factor” in how Choudhury drove and why he drove the way he did.
In an interview with police, Choudhury said he had been “threatened” and was acting "in fear of his own safety" and could not recall the crash. He also said he was unaware the exhaust on his BMW was illegal.
Following his arrest, police found videos on Choudhury’s phone that show him driving at "excessive speeds" on other occasions. In one video he is seen driving a Mercedes at 156mph.
Mr Blackshaw told the jury that Choudhury has a "habit" of driving quickly and was "obsessed" with cars. He said that his habit of driving quickly was a "contributory factor" to the way he drove on the day of the crash.
The trial before judge Matthew Corbett-Jones continues.
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