Man’s head ‘smacked on floor’ court is told
THE trial of an uninsured learner driver accused of manslaughter has heard his alleged victim’s head “smacked on the floor”.
Timothy Higgins, 22, from The Glade in Wyllie, Caerphilly, is accused of unlawfully killing 48-year-old farmer Christopher Gadd during a row in the car park of Sainsbury’s in Pontllanfraith on March 4.
He is also charged with causing death while driving without a licence or insurance.
On Monday, Cardiff Crown Court heard the pair exchanged “V signs” over a parking space dispute before provisional driving licence holder Higgins drove at his alleged victim to “s*** him up” before knocking him backwards onto the road, resulting in him dying from serious head injuries.
Mr Gadd had been a passenger in his brother’s car which “momentarily” blocked Higgins’ Land Rover Freelander from reversing out of a space, the court was told.
Yesterday, the court heard from witness Maggie Priddey who had been shopping at the store. She said she was reversing out of a car park space and noticed the Land Rover moving out of its space.
She said: “The gentleman who got hit walked beside the car. I thought he was gesturing. He came out kind of gesturing, I thought, to someone who was further away. The Land Rover came out of the junction and instead of straightening up just carried on and hit the man.”
Prosecutor Owen Williams asked the witness to describe the pedestrian’s demeanour.
She replied: “He was walking with his arms in the air. I thought he was trying to get someone’s attention. Then the Land Rover pulled off.”
Mr Williams asked: “Pulled off out of the junction?”
The witness said: “He pulls out and instead of straightening up, it’s like he does a U-turn. It’s literally just U-turned into that space.”
Mr Williams asked: “Did you see what happened to the man as he was being struck?”
She replied: “The driver’s front lights hit the man. He went down. I just saw his head smack on the floor. I saw him hit the floor with such force.”
Another shopper, Abbie Matthews, was walking to her car from the store and saw Mr Gadd on the floor.
She said the driver of the Land Rover was “pacing” around the front of his vehicle.
Ms Matthews told the court Mr Gadd’s brother Paul was “shaking his head”. She said she heard him say: “He’s dead.”
She added: “At one point the driver was walking around his car and the brother started shouting at him.”
Sainsbury’s security officer Nicola Williams arrived on the scene after the incident.
Asked what the driver of the Land Rover was doing, she said: “He was walking around with his hands on his head.”
She told the court she heard the driver say: “I’ve killed him, haven’t I?”
The witness said she also heard the driver’s partner say: “What the f*** did you do that for?”
Paul Lewis QC, defending, said: “I am going to suggest she did not say those things. She said something like: ‘What happened?’ Or: ‘What went on?.’”
Ms Williams replied: “No, she definitely said: ‘What the f*** did you do that for?’ He was walking around. It was chaos. I remember that.”
Mr Lewis asked: “Did the man say anything to that?” The witness replied: “I don’t think so.”
Mr Williams read a statement from store manager Kim John: “I saw a male lying on the floor with his face absolutely covered in blood. He was lying in an enormous pool of blood. There was a female crouched down saying he did not have a pulse and was not breathing. I saw a first responder paramedic there.
“I spoke with Paul [Gadd], he went from being calm and talking rationally, asking if his brother was okay, to being upset and crying.
“Paul said he had phoned their other brother and was waiting for him to arrive.”
A statement from paramedic David Brunnock was also read: “I could see his face was covered in blood and there was a large pool of blood under his head.
“I was joined by an ambulance unit. Shortly after the air ambulance arrived. I continued ventilating the male while chest compressions continued. It was decided the male could not be revived.”
PC Daniel Collier’s statement said: “I approached the driver of the vehicle and he identified himself to me as Timothy Higgins.
“I breathalysed Higgins – this gave a reading of zero.”
He was later cautioned, handcuffed, and taken to Ystrad Mynach custody unit.
Higgins, from Blackwood, denies manslaughter, causing death while driving uninsured and causing death otherwise in accordance with a licence.
The trial continues