Driver took drugs ‘to calm down’
ADRIVER accused of killing a teenager in a hit and run claims he took drugs to “calm down” after what he thought was a collision with furniture.
Derek Richards, 38, denies a charge of causing the death of 19-year-old Rhys Dobson in the early hours of April 14, 2019. Mr Dobson died following a collision with Richards’ black Citroen C3 at around 3.20am in Varteg Road, Blaenavon.
The teenager suffered a catastrophic head injury with a post-mortem examination concluding his cause of death was destruction of the skull.
Following the collision Richards drove to the Co-op store in Blaenavon before leaving his car and walking home but he was arrested later that morning after returning to check on the vehicle.
He was later found to have amphetamine and cannabis in his system but he claimed he had taken the drugs after the collision believing he had only hit a piece of furniture. The defendant, of Morgan Street, denies causing death by careless driving.
Giving evidence at his trial in Cardiff
Crown Court yesterday Richards said he drove to a friend’s house in Garndiffaith on April 13 where he claimed they drank tea and talked about conspiracy theory documentaries.
He said he left to drive back home to Blaenavon between 2.55am and 3.05am the following morning. He had initially planned to drive to McDonald’s in Pontypool but changed his mind.
The defendant said he knew Varteg Road well and described it as a “mountain road” which was known for being dangerous.
He said had only owned his car for three weeks having bought it with money borrowed from his father who had received inheritance from the defendant’s recently-deceased grandfather.
When asked to describe his journey Richards said: “I set off and I couldn’t see anything on the roads. I couldn’t even see sheep which is rare. It was just a normal drive. I didn’t have any music on and I’m pretty sure my windows were closed.
“I can remember looking up the road ahead and I could see something. I thought it might have been a puddle or reflecting water but it hadn’t been raining.
“I wasn’t sure if something was there as I was approaching but one minute it was there and then it wasn’t because of the way it goes up and down.
“As I approached I realised something was there and reduced my speed. At the last minute I went right like that. I would have taken my foot off the accelerator. Looking back now I can’t understand why I didn’t go into the other lane but it would have been too dangerous with oncoming traffic.
“I thought I’d seen a piece of flytipping – a washing machine or wardrobe. I thought it was square and white. There has been fly-tipping up there – people decide to dump anywhere they want to. It’s a nightmare sometimes.
“I thought it was maybe a washing machine or fridge freezer. It was white or grey.”
Ieuan Bennett, defending, asked: “Did you think it was a body?
Richards replied: “Not at all. Even if I hit an animal I wouldn’t drive off. I’m a father myself and I don’t know what to say because I can’t comprehend what they’re going through.”
The defendant was also asked about his drug use on the morning of the collision. He claimed he had gone to take a painkiller for his neck and found a bag of white powder in his medication box.
It was a bag of amphetamine which Richards said had been left over from a night out a year ago. He said he took that and smoked a cannabis joint in order to “calm himself down”.
The trial continues.