Driver accused of 'acting' over girlfriend's death

A recovery truck driver, who denies murdering his teenage girlfriend, came up with a "false account" about what happened to her because he was trying to "evade responsibility", a court heard.

Mohammed Azim, 41, is accused of killing his on-off girlfriend Lily Whitehouse on 5 November, just after she had been to visit her premature baby, fathered by another man, in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Azim, of Tividale Road, Tipton, is alleged to have crushed Whitehouse against a lamp-post in Old Park Lane in Oldbury.

In her closing speeches to the jury on Wednesday, prosecution counsel Rachel Brand KC accused Azim of "acting" in the moments after her death.

"We say it is clear he murdered Lily because in deliberately driving at her, he must, in that moment, have intended to cause her a really serious injury at least," she said.

After Whitehouse was hurt, Azim, is alleged to have picked her up and put her in his truck. He dialled 999 and told operators he had seen her get hit by another vehicle that did not stop at the scene.

When later interviewed by detectives, he claimed he had no memory of what had happened.

"He hadn't forgotten, he knew very well from the moment it happened what he had done," Brand added.

In his evidence to the court, Azim admitted he lied about the hit-and-run because he claimed he panicked, and said he hit Whitehouse accidentally with his truck as he tried to leave after dropping her off near her home.

"He is still pretending it was an accident. The only difference is, he knows he can no longer blame it on a different vehicle," the prosecutor said.

"We urge you to see through his act, reject his false account that this was an accident and find him guilty of murder."

In his closing speech, defence barrister Imran Shafi KC said, if Azim had intended to seriously injure or kill Whitehouse, he would not have called the emergency services.

He described the defendant as a "calm and kind man" who tried to help his girlfriend when no-one else would.

Shafi urged the jury to "strip away emotion" and focus only on the evidence.

"We say that this is clearly not a murder. The real question for you to decide is whether this is a case of manslaughter or a pure accident," he said.

"We say that when you look at the evidence, you can be sure this was an absolutely awful and tragic accident.

"There is absolutely no evidence Mr Azim intended either to cause really serious injury or to kill Lily. Absolutely zero."

The jury is expected to retire to begin its deliberations after the judge, Mr Justice Murray, sums up the evidence.

The trial continues.

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