Driver accused of crash death 'lost control' of car

Abubakr Ben Yusaf is accused of causing the death of a father-of-two by driving dangerously

A driver accused of causing the death of a father-of-two by dangerous driving lost control of his car before the crash, he told a court.

Rhys Jenkins, of Deuddwr, Powys, was killed on the A483 near Welshpool on 16 November 2024, and his son, Ioan, was seriously injured when their car was hit head on by a BMW X3 being driven by Abubakr Ben Yusaf.

Mr Ben Yusaf, 30, said he and his brother, Umar Ben Yusaf, 34, who are both locum optometrists, were driving home to Manchester from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, in separate cars when it happened, but he was not aware his brother had been driving behind him.

Both deny causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Father-of-two Rhys Jenkins was killed in the crash on 16 November 2024

Giving evidence, Mr Ben Yusaf told Mold Crown Court he had overtaken other cars on the journey, but always "in a safe manner" and that he had been driving within the speed limit.

He said he had been driving along the road by himself in the moments before the crash, with no cars in front or behind him, when the car began to "slide" and "fishtail" and he was not able to regain control.

"I don't know what the reason was," he said.

"The result was the tragedy that's occurred… it swayed over to the other side of the road, and the worst possible thing happened."

After the accident, he said he was "in a state of shock and panic".

He described getting out of the passenger side because he was not able to open the driver's door, and walking away for his own safety, in case the car caught fire.

"My memory is quite blurred," he said, but he described seeing his brother's car and getting in, before blacking out.

"I thought I was about to die," he added.

Umar Ben Yusaf is accused of being responsible for dangerous driving in the moments leading up to the crash

Prosecutor John Philpotts asked Mr Ben Yusaf if it was right that he did not know his brother was driving in the road behind him.

"There would be no way of me knowing," he said, adding: "I was focusing on the road."

He said it was a coincidence that his brother was also there, and they were "not in convoy".

He told the court he would "disagree" with witnesses who had given evidence saying he was driving too fast and dangerously.

He said his driving had not been "reckless", adding that he was "really sorry and remorseful" for what had happened.

"I can't imagine what the family is going through," he said.

Under cross examination by the prosecution, Abubakr Ben Yusaf was also asked which one of them had suggested leaving the scene after the accident, to which he replied that he had "wanted to get to a hospital".

He said he had not said, "come on let's go" as suggested by witness Anthony Demery, who gave evidence in the case on Tuesday.

Mr Philpotts asked Mr Ben Yusaf why he had not just waited for an ambulance, and he replied it was because he had been "in fear" for his life, adding: "I thought I was actually dying."

Mr Philpotts asked if, given the serious nature of the crash, was he aware an ambulance and the police were bound to be called?

"I wasn't thinking straight," he replied.

Earlier in the proceedings, the jury was directed by the judge to find Umar Ben Yusaf not guilty of one of the charges he faces.

Judge Simon Mills told the jury there was insufficient evidence in respect of a charge of causing death while uninsured being faced by Umar Ben Yusaf.

The same charge is still faced by Abubakr Ben Yusaf.

The trial continues.