Motorist breaks down in tears as he tells of moment his car crushed neighbour’s five-year-old son to death
David Cowell denies one count of causing death by careless driving after tragic Riley Ferguson was killed
A MOTORIST accused of driving over his neighbour's five-year-old son and killing him yesterday broke down in tears as he told a jury how he had not seen the child.
David Cowell said he was moving at just 3mph when he turned left and crushed tragic Riley Ferguson on a shared driveway.
The father-of-three claimed he was a highly qualified driver and had taken all the appropriate steps to avoid an accident but could not see young Riley lying on the ground at the bottom of the driveway.
The 42-year-old had, however, encountered children on the driveway only the night before tragedy which happened as he was returning home to watch an England football match on a sunny afternoon in June 2015.
Cowell told jurors at Aylesbury crown court that he was in first gear and another child was standing nearby when he felt a bump and thought he had run over a bike as he turned left into the driveway off the cul-de-sac in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
He stopped immediately and reversed his large Vauxhall Insignia car to reveal his young victim had been run over on his nearside.
Cowell told the court: "I just started screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God, I ran over Riley'. I ran over, blood was coming out of his mouth and ears.
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"I thought to myself I couldn't just leave him there."
He said he carried the five-year-old and placed him on nearby grass before paramedics arrived.
But tragic Riley died from his injuries after being taken to a hospital and later to a hospice.
Cowell broke down in tears as he was cross-examined by prosecution counsel in the witness box. He denies one count of causing death by careless driving.
The defendant, of Milton Keynes, said he was in "no rush whatsoever" and went down a nearby road at "no more than 10mph" before turning left into Woodspring Court.
The court heard that Cowell told police in an interview after the death that he had encountered six girls sitting on the driveway at around 6pm the previous night.
Alan Blake, prosecuting, accused Cowell of putting a "slant" on his evidence when he denied they were sat on the same place Riley was run over.
The prosecutor said Cowell would not have hit young Riley if he had conducted all the appropriate checks as the defendant had claimed.
Mr Blake said: "The point is this. People used to congregate and play on the bottom of your driveway.
However, Cowell retorted: "In seven years driving into and out of that driveway, I've never hit anything before."
The prosecutor then said: "Sadly on this occasion Mr Cowell you didn't take all the steps you could have done to make sure the way ahead of you was clear, did you?"
The jury was sent out to consider its verdict and the case was later adjourned until Friday when the jury members will continue their deliberation.
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