Jury shown video of man on car bonnet before death

Jackson Paul has denied causing death by dangerous driving

Footage of the moment that a man came off a car bonnet as the vehicle braked has been shown to a jury at Douglas Courthouse.

Jackson Paul, 35, denies causing the death by dangerous driving of 29-year-old Jordan Thomas last year.

The court heard on the evening of 25 February Mr Paul was driving on Harbour Road in Onchan when Mr Thomas got onto his car bonnet, pulling the windscreen wipers up and down.

Mobile phone footage taken by passenger Niall Jones showed Mr Thomas coming off the car bonnet after the vehicle drove forward then braked.

Mr Thomas died nine days later in Aintree Hospital.

The court heard a post mortem had recorded his cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.

'Panicked moment'

Giving evidence, the driver of another car, Cheryl Richmond, described Mr Thomas approaching her vehicle the same evening, before getting onto the bonnet and quickly sliding off.

She said she and Mr Thomas were both "laughing at one point" but added she had felt confused by the incident and had "wanted to get out of the situation".

In a written statement Kelly Hampson, who was driving behind Ms Richmond, said that Mr Thomas had "looked aggressive" as he then approached her own car leading her to reverse and go another way.

The court heard it was shortly after that Mr Paul arrived on Harbour Road and saw the 29-year-old standing at the side of the road.

In a transcript of his police interview read out to the court, he said he had gestured for Mr Thomas to cross the road, but he had "jumped" onto the front of his car.

The court heard he told officers he had honked his car horn, which had appeared to "aggravate" Mr Thomas, who started punching the windscreen.

He said he tried to move the automatic car backwards at that point but it instead moved forward, and he could not put the car into reverse while it was in drive so had braked.

In the transcripts he said "it was a very panicked moment" and he thought he or his passenger would be in danger if Mr Thomas had broken through the window, the court was told.

In a report prepared by forensic collision investigator PC Clare Sproule-Craine, she said while the only evidence that Mr Thomas was punching the windscreen had come from Mr Paul and Mr Jones, the post mortem showed bruising to his lower fingers indicating impact with a "hard object".

She said she had estimated the car had reached between 32mph (51km/h) and 38mph (61km/h).

However, forensic collision investigator for the defence Adrian Armstrong said that in his opinion the car had not been travelling forward for enough time to reach that speed and stop.

He said he estimated the vehicle had been moving between 29mph (46km/h) and 30mph (48km/h).

The trial is set to continue at Douglas Courthouse on Thursday.