Death by dangerous driving accused 'panicked'

Jackson Paul denies causing death by dangerous driving

A man accused of causing the death of a 29-year-old man through dangerous driving "completely panicked" when he punched his windscreen, a court has heard.

Jackson Paul, 35, denies the causing the death by dangerous driving of Jordan Thomas, who came off the bonnet of his black BMW on 25 February last year.

Douglas Courthouse heard Mr Paul had gone for an evening drive with his flatmate around Douglas and Onchan prior to encountering Mr Thomas on Harbour Road.

Mr Paul said he had intended to reverse after Mr Thomas jumped onto the front of his car and started punching the windscreen but the car had "shot forward".

Mr Thomas died nine days later at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool of head injuries.

Giving evidence Mr Paul said after turning onto Harbour Road, he had seen Mr Thomas, who he did not know, standing on the side of the road looking towards the car.

He said he thought Mr Thomas wanted to cross the road so stopped and gestured for him to cross, but when the 29-year-old stayed where he was, he started to drive again.

He told the court it was at that point that Mr Thomas ran towards his car and "threw himself" onto the bonnet, pulling at the windscreen wipers before breaking one off.

Mr Paul said that he had "tried to reverse to get out of the situation, but I couldn't so I stopped".

'Not intentional'

Mr Paul told the court he had honked his horn a number of times, which was when Mr Thomas "got more aggressive", jumped with his feet on the bonnet and punched the windscreen.

"I completely panicked I started thinking if he is going to get in he is going to get me," he told the court.

Mr Paul said after two punches he had pressed the pedal harder than he ordinarily would, thinking the vehicle was in reverse but it had "shot forward".

"It was a mistake, it wasn't planned, it wasn't intentional," he told the court.

He said he was trying to change the gear on his automatic car but realised he would have to stop to do it so "hit the brake" and that was when Mr Thomas came off the car.

Prosecutor Roger Kane asked whether he accepted reversing, stopping, accelerating and braking a vehicle while a man was on the bonnet was dangerous, to which he replied: "In an ordinary situation, yes."

In a witness statement read to court, passenger Nail Jones said that Mr Thomas "looked intense and threatening" as he got onto the car bonnet.

As he started punching the windscreen "I went from surprised, to shocked, to terrified", he said.

Mr Jones said he had felt the car accelerate, and had said "slow, slow, slow", as he saw the man was not balanced and remained upright kneeling on the car bonnet.

Mr Thomas "didn't seem to have any concern for his safety", he added.

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