Accused ‘revved car engine like boy racer’

A MAN accused of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving was revving his engine and acting like a “boy racer”, a court heard.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Dean Collins looked “impatient” while stopped at a set of traffic lights in Western Avenue in Cardiff moments before the collision on September 13, 2015.

Giving evidence at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, witness Bethany Lees said: “I thought he was being impatient at the traffic lights – probably a boy racer.”

Miss Lees said the grey Ford Focus was rocking backwards and forwards as the driver revved his engine at the traffic lights on the junction between Western Avenue and Mill Lane.

She told the court the driver pulled away faster than the other traffic and she lost sight of him until she went around a bend and saw a green car “going up in the air”.

Joanne James, who was visiting her parents nearby, said the collision sounded “like a loud explosion”.

In a witness statement read out in court she said she could see smoke coming from underneath the bonnets of the cars involved.

Ms James said she could see a boy “slumped” in the back seat of the grey Ford Focus next to a woman who appeared “motionless” and “unresponsive”.

Collins is charged with causing serious injury to his girlfriend and front seat passenger Laura Bright and her mother Michelle Holmes, who was in the back seat.

He is also accused of causing the death of Ms Bright’s five-year-old son Joseph, who was on the back seat.

The defendant faces additional charges of causing serious injury to Shane and Joanne Strevins, who were driving a white Seat Ibiza involved in the head-on collision.

Forensic toxicologist Sarah TarrantWooding told the court she detected benzoylecgonine (BZE) in the defendant’s blood.

She explained the substance is produced when cocaine is broken down in the body.

The toxicologist said she could not calculate an exact time but it was likely Collins took the drug the night before the crash.

She told the jury cocaine could cause “risk-taking behaviour” in a driver.

In a statement given to the police Collins said he passed his driving test in June 2015.

He stated he was not driving at an excessive speed, had not intentionally undertaken anyone, and did not use a mobile phone.

Collins, 23, from Coleford Drive in St Mellons, denies all charges.

The trial continues.