Death crash men hatched cover-up

Helena Kotlarova

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A TRIAL jury has been told a desperate cover-up was staged after two young Oldham girls were killed in a hit and run crash on New Year's Eve in a bid to throw police off the scent.

Helena Kotlarova (12), died instantly when she was hit as she and her 11-year old cousin Zaneta Krokova crossed Ashton Road near the Copster Hill Road junction in Hathershaw after buying confectionary at an off licence. Zaneta died two days later in hospital.

The driver of the Peugeot 807 vehicle did not stop at the scene, and it is alleged that a plot was hatched with two other men who had witnessed the tragedy, to avoid any responsibility.

Police were told the Peugeot had been stolen before the death crash at 7.15pm on December 31 but in fact steps had been taken to dispose of it to create the impression that the driver, Gabor Hegadus, 39, could not have been responsible.

Hegadus later accepted what he had done, pleading guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving and trying to pervert the course of justice.

Two others: David Orsos, 18, and Zoltan Peto, 49, have also pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice, but the fourth, Janos Kalayanos, has gone on trial after denying the same charge.

A jury at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court has been told that the four Hungarian-speaking men, all of no fixed address, had at the time shared a house on Edith Street, Oldham, and earlier on New Year's Eve had been working together on a house clearance job on Clarksfield Road, Oldham, using both the Peugeot and a Citroen van.

At the time of the accident, the van was travelling immediately behind the Peugeot.

In the passenger seat was Kalayanos, who it is said, clearly saw what happened, but it is alleged that, when arrested, he told the lie put forward by the other men.

He claimed the other three including driver Hegadus had been in the house on Edith Street at the time of the accident, and could not have been involved. Mark Kellet, prosecuting, told the jury: "The Crown says this was a deliberate lie."

He said CCTV footage had shown the two vehicles en route in convoy to Ashton Road at 6.20pm.

The Peugeot driven by Hegadus had been doing 40mph in a 30mph zone, and when he braked to avoid the two girls crossing the road, his speed was such that he could only reduce it to 29mph.

The jury was told that Orsos, pretending to be Hegadus, reported the Peugeot stolen at midnight on New Year's Day, after both vehicles had been taken from Edith Street and abandoned.

Kalayanos told police he had not left the house all day except to go to a shop.

He claimed Hegadus, Orsos and Peto, who had also been in the house, told him of the car theft.

Hegadus, Orsos, and Petos will be sentenced at the end of the trial, together with Kalayanos if he is convicted.