Jury out in death trial

Annalise Holt: died on the crossing

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A DRIVER charged with causing the death of 12-year old Annalise Holt on a notorious Shaw crossing told a court he has tried every day since to work out how it had happened.

Peter Scott (58) said he saw only one of the two girls involved in the accident - and then only a split-second before the impact.

He said he couldn’t say whether he braked before, during or after the impact on the crossing on Milnrow Road, Shaw, but admitted he had not “slammed on the anchors”.

A Manchester Crown Court jury heard Scott’s works van had first hit Annalise’s 11-year-old friend, who was slightly ahead of Annalise on the crossing.

Annalise was then knocked to the ground and, unknown to Scott, dragged under the wheels for another 17 metres before he stopped. Mr Scott explained he had driven on slowly after the impact so he could stop safely. Only after he got out of the van did he see the girl underneath.

Annalise suffered crush injuries that made it impossible for her to breathe. She died at the scene.

Scott told police in an interview six days later: “I just didn’t see them. I’m not convinced whether they came from the right or from the left.”

The jury had heard expert evidence that Mr Scott would have had a clear and unobstructed view of the girls for a critical two and a half seconds before the impact at around 4.30pm on a dark December afternoon in 2013.

He was then asked how it was that he did not see the two friends in his field of vision during the two and a half second period. He said he didn’t know, and that he wasn’t looking in their direction at the time.

An accident reconstruction expert told the court there had been no other distractions the driver’s only concern should have been to his right-hand side - where the girls crossed.

Scott pleads not guilty to causing death by careless driving.