Telford lorry driver in death crash case sent to see doctor
A Telford lorry driver appeared to have a sudden loss of memory in the witness box as he tried to explain what happened moments before his articulated HGV crashed into the back of a broken down car on the M25, killing one of the occupants.
Anthony Cheshire, a 63-year-old former Army company sergeant major, appeared to go blank when asked by his defence barrister "to explain from memory what happened" on that fateful journey.
As a result the trial was adjourned for him to seek medical help.
Laura Cooper, 35, of Garth Avenue, Leicester, was sitting behind her cousin, driver Tammy Langton, who allegedly set off for a return journey back to London from Leicester without enough petrol and ran out of fuel between junctions 26 and 27 clockwise in Essex on March 29.
Cheshire, of Reynards Coppice, Sutton Hill, and Langton, 32, of south-east London, are both on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court for causing death by dangerous driving among other charges.
Cheshire had been outlining in detail his background for about 40 minutes from the witness box when he was asked about his Scania R620's approach to where the crash happened, what was in front of him and what vehicles he could recall.
Langton's Nissan Note was stranded, protruding into the inside lane, at 1.55am on an unlit section with no hard shoulder.
As Cheshire paused, his barrister Paul Rogers asked another question: "While you are recollecting - how has this accident affected you?"
Cheshire responded: "I don't know what's happening to me at the moment."
Judge Jonathan Seely adjourned the hearing temporarily to allow Cheshire time to collect himself but when the jury returned, the judge told them: "Mr Cheshire has difficulty in continuing with his evidence. Although he wants to it's not appropriate to continue without him seeing a doctor."
He sent jurors away for the day.
The case so far:
Earlier, Cheshire told the court he was born and raised in Wolverhampton and joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment at 17. He served for almost 23 years, ending as a company sergeant major.
Afterwards he became a long distance lorry driver.
Before the prosecution closed its case, the jury heard that Ms Cooper's father, Martin Cooper, who lives in Leicester with her son Joshua Cooper, was so emotionally and mentally "fragile" over what happened that he was unable to come to court to give evidence.
Langton's legal team wanted him to appear because Joshua Cooper, now 19, had told the jury his grandfather had offered Langton money for petrol but she refused to accept it.
In a recorded interview, set up by police, between Mr Cooper and Langton's legal representative, the grandfather said he "did not" offer money to Josh to give to Langton.
He further stated: "Josh would have had money but it would have been there had she asked. Josh may have offered the money on my behalf. I was expecting Tammy to come in. I didn't know she needed petrol money and had I known Josh would have offered it."
It is alleged Langton, Miss Fry and Ms Cooper all shared two cannabis joints before and en route to Leicester during that afternoon.
The prosecution claim that Langton knew she didn't have enough fuel to get home when they left later that night, did not borrow any money to buy petrol, and carried on driving when the warning light was on instead of using emergency refuge areas on the M25.
The prosecution allege that Cheshire failed to see the stranded car, with its flashing hazard lights on, despite having a 300m view ahead and was "on top" of it when he collided with its rear offside at 56mph. It says his truck collided with the Nissan 18 seconds after the car came to a halt.
Both Langton, of Melthorpe Gardens, Blackheath, and Miss Fry were seriously injured in the crash. Ms Cooper died a few days later in hospital.
Both defendants deny causing the death of Laura Cooper by dangerous or careless driving,
In addition, both deny causing serious injury to front seat passenger Yasmin Fry by dangerous driving.
Cheshire further denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Tammy Langton.
Langton also pleads not guilty to causing death by careless driving when having over the specified limit of cannabis in her body.
The trial continues.
