Utterby death crash-accused told passerby he was going too fast - court

Denii Reynolds died after a crash on the A16 at Utterby, near Louth

A driver accused of killing his passenger in a crash said he had "gone too fast and lost control" moments after the smash, a court has heard.

Denii Reynolds died following the crash on the A16 at Utterby, near Louth in Lincolnshire, in October 2021.

Ms Reynolds was in a Citroen C1, driven by Keelan Tuke, when it collided with a Vauxhall Corsa, seriously injuring the occupant.

Four defendants deny causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr Tuke, 21, of Grafton Street, Grimsby, Riley Duncombe, 19, of Thesiger Walk, Grimsby, Keigan Launder, 23, of Louth Road, Grimsby, and Josh Dobb, 21, of Hadleigh Road, Immingham, also deny a second charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving to the occupant of the Corsa.

On Friday, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court heard evidence from police interviews conducted with the defendants.

Mr Tuke told officers he had suffered trauma as a result of the crash and could not remember what happened after the group left a service station before the collision.

However, an off-duty East Midlands Ambulance Service technician who stopped at the crash scene to help, said Mr Tuke told him he had "gone too fast and lost control of the vehicle".

The court previously heard claims the four defendants were racing each other and were driving at "grossly excessive speeds" before the 26 October crash.

According to analysis of dashcam footage, Mr Dobb's vehicle had been travelling at up to 99mph (159km/h) shortly before the crash, while Mr Tuke's top speed had been calculated to be 98mph (157km/h).

Kieran Baldock, who was a passenger in the second vehicle, driven by Mr Dobb, told the court they reached speeds of up to 100mph (160km/h) on the way to Louth.

All four drivers were travelling at "grossly excessive speeds" in the moments before the crash, the court was told

Mr Tuke was asked by police if he considered his driving to be dangerous at any point during the evening.

"No," he replied.

When asked if he had any idea what speed he was doing, he said: "No, but I know my car can't reach over 100."

"I would do the road speeds," he added.

Mr Dobb told police he was travelling at about 55mph (88km/h) as he approached the 50mph (80km/h) zone shortly before Mr Tuke veered across the road into the path of the Corsa.

Mr Launder, who was driving his Mercedes behind Mr Dobb's Ford Fiesta van, denied any suggestion they had been racing.

When asked if Mr Tuke's driving was dangerous, he replied: "No."

"He was driving close to the speed limit [and] has made a mistake and it cost someone their life."

Teenager Mr Duncombe, who at the time had only just passed his test, denied driving dangerously.

The trial continues.