A VEHICLE accelerated towards two pedestrians when they were “in clear view of the driver,” a murder trial heard today.

It was stated that the 2.2 tonne Kia Sedona, with at least five people in it, veered slightly to the right before hitting Amriz Iqbal in Sandford Road, Bradford Moor, shortly after 1pm on October 3 last year.

Mr Iqbal, 40, a father of three, of Curzon Road, Bradford Moor, sustained a fatal head injury and died soon afterwards in Leeds General Infirmary.

AS IT HAPPENED

It is alleged that the silver Kia Sedona was deliberately driven at Mr Iqbal and his friend, Adnan Ahmed, by Mohammed Nisar Khan, with Tony Grant in the passenger seat.

Khan, 41, of Holme Lane, Tong, Bradford, and Grant, 39, of Queens Road, Bradford, deny murdering Mr Iqbal and attempting to murder Mr Ahmed.

They also deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, along with Salman Ismail, 31, of Hollin Road, Shipley, Bradford, and Nadeem Khan, 35, of Gledhow Wood Road, Roundhay, Leeds.

Today, the jury at Bradford Crown Court heard evidence from two collision investigators.

James Viney, who works for West Yorkshire Police, spoke of his findings after analysis of CCTV footage of what the trial judge, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, described as “the fateful impact.”

Mr Viney said the vehicle slowed down to go over a speed bump on the 20mph road before accelerating and “veering slightly to the right” and striking the men, throwing one to the left and the other to the right.

The vehicle reverses after the impact and a person gets out of the passenger door and three people alight from an offside door. The driver remains in the vehicle. The four passengers then get back in and the Kia Sedona drives off.

Mr Viney said the brake lights were off “to the point of collision.”

Cross-examined by Simon Csoka QC, barrister for Mohammed Nisar Khan, known as Meggy, Mr Viney said he did not carry out a collision investigation report.

“It wasn’t discussed,” he stated.

He said it was not possible to calculate the vehicle’s speed at the point of impact but its average speed in the seconds before was 16-18mph.

“Ordinarily, an impact with a pedestrian at that speed doesn’t cause serious injury, does it?” Mr Csoka asked.

Mr Viney agreed.

Mr Csoka suggested that Mr Iqbal’s head may have struck a tree.

Robert Elliott, collision investigator for the defence, said it was hard for a driver to calculate which way a pedestrian in the road would go.

“They can be unpredictable,” he said.

Mr Elliott said the speed at impact would not be “vastly higher” than 18mph.

That would only cause serious injury if the pedestrian struck his head on a hard surface, such as the road, a tree, a vehicle or a building.

Cross-examined by Peter Moulson QC, for the Crown, Mr Elliott agreed that the driver accelerated with the pedestrians “in clear view.”

“The brake lights do not illuminate prior to impact,” Mr Elliott stated.

He estimated the speed on impact to be “marginally” higher than 18mph.

The trial continues.