Cabbie denies blame for death

The driver of a black cab knocked down a sprightly 80-year old former teacher on a pedestrian crossing because he didn’t see her, a court was told.

Clarice De-Looze, was more than halfway across the road when the taxi driven by Mohammed Rehman, of Eric Street, Oldham, hit her.

The pensioner was within feet of the safety of a refuge island in the centre of Guide Lane, Audenshaw, when she was struck, suffering such serious injuries that she later died.

A jury at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told Rehman (43), who denies causing death by careless driving, was travelling towards Denton within the 30mph speed limit at the time of the accident on May 21 last year. The weather was fine and visibility clear.

A vehicle expert who examined the cab said it was in a poor state of repair, and would not be expected to pass an MOT test.

Nichola Gatto, prosecuting, said the vehicle would have swerved to one side had the driver tried to brake sharply, though police accident-reconstruction experts could find no evidence of emergency braking.

Ms Gatto told the court: “Sadly, our case is that Mr Rehman simply did not see this lady. It may have been a momentary loss of concentration, or perhaps his vision was obscured.

“He had various mementos hanging from his mirror, and it is possible that it obscured his vision on the day.”

The case continues.

The court was told that at the time of the accident around 7.45pm on Guide Lane near its junction with Chapel Street, the cab should have been capable of stopping in less than 13 metres, travelling at 30mph. In fact it had stopped 32 metres from impact.

Ms Gatto said: “The driver would have had ample time to react as this lady crossed right in front of him.

She told the jury that Mr Rehman, of Eric Street, Oldham, was heard to ask after the accident: “What happened?” He then denied all liability.

Nicole Edwards (16), who is Ms De-Looze’s great niece, had seen her less than five minutes before the accident.

She had been walking with friends to a local shop, and her great aunt had been walking to the teenager’s address on Davenport Street, Audenshaw, to deliver a birthday card for another member of the family.

Nicole told the court she had been inside the shop, when she was told about the accident by a child who had been outside.

Nicole said her great-aunt had been extremely sprightly. “She always walked everywhere and was always healthy and fit” she said.

She said Ms De-Looze had been on her way from her own home on Winton Avenue, to deliver the birthday card.

She said she would have crossed at the crossing because it was the only “green man” crossing on that particular stretch of road.

Ms De-Looze had taught for more than 30 years at the Old Hall School in Gorton, and had been an avid church goer at Trinity Church on Audenshaw Road, in Audenshaw where she had lived since 1935.

(Proceeding)