A man has been found guilty of knocking down a pensioner and killing him on a pedestrian crossing as he accelerated through a junction. Abdelkader Dhrif, 70, died from his injuries after the collision on the A580 East Lancashire Road in Worsley, Salford.
Mr Dhrif, from Boothstown in Salford, was 'within the confines' of the pedestrian crossing at the road's junction with Ellenbrook Road and Newearth Road, but the traffic light crossing signals were on 'red for pedestrians and green for motorists', Manchester Crown Court heard.
Jurors found Ben Trigger, 30, of Merton Grove, Astley, Wigan, guilty of causing his death by dangerous driving after two hours of deliberations. Trigger will be sentenced later in the year.
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Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, said the collision happened at around 3.30pm on November 20, 2019. It was daylight and the weather was fine, he said. Trigger was driving his Ford Ranger 'pick-up' westbound towards Liverpool at the time.
Mr Dhrif, who was crossing with his dog, had reached a point in the outside lane of the carriageway, and Mr Cadwallader said there was evidence that he was running at some point, 'probably to get to the central reservation in safety'. The prosecutor said he may have 'misjudged' the speed Trigger was driving at, which he described as 'excessive'.
Mr Dhrif’s beloved dog, Maisie, sadly died alongside him, his family have previously said.
"In any event by that stage it was too late for the defendant and Mr Dhrif to avoid the collision," Mr Cadwallader said. The area of the East Lancashire Road has a 40mph speed limit.
Jurors were told that Trigger's vehicle was fitted with a computer system as part of his 'infotainment' unit and through it, it was 'possible to track the defendant's journey and his speed, with room for error limited to one mph'.
Mr Cadwallader said he was travelling more than 50mph on his approach to the incident scene. A driver in a car in front of him told how Trigger flashed him with his headlights as he was about to turn right off the A580, the jury heard. Mr Cadwallader said it suggested 'impatience on the part of the defendant'.
When the witness turned right, Trigger accelerated, jurors were told. "It was hard acceleration as a few metres prior to the stop lane at the junction he had reached a speed, according to the technology, of 61.6mph," Mr Cadwallader said.
"Taking into account room for error the conclusion is that the defendant's speed was about 60mph. The inference is that this is the point that the defendant braked having seen the deceased in the road."
In police interviews, Trigger said he had first seen Mr Dhrif when he was 'in the centre of the carriageway'. Mr Cadwallader said he said he was driving at 'no more than 40 mph' and told police he would 'never accelerate through a junction, ever'.
"That is an obvious and sensible precaution that all competent and careful drivers should follow," the prosecutor said. "Unfortunately, on the 20th of November 2019 the defendant did the opposite. He was not only going fast, he was accelerating. He put his foot down.”
"I don’t believe I was doing anything that was dangerous or unsafe." Trigger said he had travelled to Manchester city centre to get some trousers altered, before returning to his home in Wigan on November 20 last year.
But, jurors rejected his account and found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He had previously entered a not guilty plea. Trigger will be sentenced on May 9. In the meantime, he was handed an interim driving ban.
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