Preston motorist cleared of death crash

4:56pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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A motorist has been cleared of causing death by dangerous driving after telling a jury he reacted to the situation to try and save lives.

Sajjad Munawar said he had been confronted with a recovery lorry in the road and he felt that to try and go round the vehicle on Preston New Road, Mellor Brook in the Ribble Valley, would have caused a "disaster".

Munawar, 28, of Deepdale Road, Preston, was found not guilty after the jury at Preston crown court had been considering their verdict for more than three and a half hours.

It was the second time he had faced trial. Last July he was convicted on the charge and jailed for 18 months.

The conviction was subsequently quashed on appeal, and the re-trial ordered.

After being cleared, Munawar was convicted of driving without due care and attention, and was given a 12 month conditional discharge, and three penalty points.

His barrister Richard Clews said he had previously served six months in jail for an offence he had now been acquitted of.

The fatal collision took place in November 2006.

Michael Parker,61, who lived nearby, had been stood behind a recovery vehicle that was retrieving a BMW car from a garden.

He died at the scene from his injuries.

The prosecution had claimed that the defendant's driving fell far below standard early that morning.

Pakistan born Munawar had come to this country in 2006 to qualify as a First Officer's position in the Pakistan merchant navy.

He said he was not in a hurry that morning and initially, on seeing the lorry with a flashing yellow light on top, he thought it was off the road.

When he was about 50 metres away, he realised it was more on the road and only slightly on the footpath.

On reaching a point near the entrance to a petrol station, he started to brake.

He said he decided to pass the lorry on its right side, but four or five cars suddenly appeared in front of him.

He thought he could not do that manoeuvre safely and that there might not be room to get through.

"The only decision in my mind was to go on the left hand side to avoid disaster with oncoming traffic in the opposite lane.

"My prime importance was to save other lives. That is why I went on the left hand side rather than the right.

"I wouldn't have done it if I thought other people were at the rear of the lorry."

He said he was in shock after the accident.