Brierley crash: Lorry passenger 'asked driver to stop'

Three men are on trial at Sheffield Crown Court in connection with the fatal lorry crash in Brierley

One of three passengers in a stolen lorry which knocked down and killed a woman said he told the driver to stop before the fatal collision.

Wayne Carroll, 29, described Karn Hill's driving in the moments before the crash as "absolutely disgusting".

He told Sheffield Crown Court he had no idea the lorry involved in the smash near Barnsley in 2018 was stolen.

Mr Carroll, from Grimethorpe, denies causing death by dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking.

Jacqueline Wileman, 58, was knocked down in Common Road, Brierley, on 14 September by a lorry driven by Hill. The lorry then crashed into a house.

Mr Carroll and two other men David Mellor, 48, and Alan Mawhinney, 53, were passengers in the vehicle.

Mr Carroll said he had been picked up by Hill from Grimethorpe expecting to be driven to Barnsley.

He said Hill's driving had been "ok" until a police car began following the lorry as it approached Brierley.

He said: "I told him to stop. If the police are trying to stop you, you are meant to stop.

"He started to speed up and I did not like it. I wanted him to stop and let me out. He did not stop - he just sped up."

Jacqueline Wileman was run down by the lorry moments before it ploughed into a house

When asked about a witness's account of seeing three men laughing and joking in the lorry prior to the crash he replied: "It's not a laughing matter being scared like that".

During his evidence the jury was played footage of the aftermath of the crash which showed Mr Carroll and Hill climb out of the lorry and begin to run away.

Mr Carroll said he ran from the lorry after seeing Hill being "manhandled" by members of the public as they tried to stop him and said he was "in fear for my own life".

However, he said when police officers shouted at him to stop he did, adding: "If I had wanted to run from the scene of a crime I could have been gone."

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Mr Mellor, of Bank End Road, Mr Carroll, of Chestnut Street, Grimethorpe, and Mr Mawhinney, of Calder Crescent, Kendray, all deny causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr Mellor and Mr Mawhinney have both admitted a charge of aggravated vehicle taking. Mr Carroll denies the same offence.

Hill, of East View, Cudworth, has admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial continues.