An optometrist accused of causing a father's death by dangerous driving has told a jury he did not race his brother during a 150-mile journey home to Manchester from Wales.
Court Testimony
Umar Yusaf, 35, a father-of-three who had been working in Aberystwyth, Wales, gave evidence at Mold Crown Court on Monday. He stated: "I wasn't racing at any point." Under questioning from his barrister, Sean Minihan, he denied planning to drive with his brother Abubakr, 31, in a convoy, insisting they were not tracking each other.
The brothers, both locum optometrists from Esmond Road, Cheetham Hill, are on trial accused of causing the death of Rhys Jenkins, 41, by dangerous driving on the A483 in Wales in November 2024. They also deny causing serious injury to Mr Jenkins' nine-year-old son Ioan, and Abubakr Yusaf faces an additional charge of being uninsured.
Incident Details
The defendants were driving BMW and Audi cars between 6pm and 6.30pm on November 16, 2024, when a collision occurred south of Welshpool. In court, Umar Yusaf claimed there appeared to be a contaminant on the road, which he assumed was mud. He insisted: "Every overtake I did was in a safe manner."
Mr Minihan asked: "Did you drive dangerously that night?" Umar Yusaf replied: "No." When asked if he drove carelessly, he again said: "No." Asked whether he intended to encourage his brother to drive dangerously, he responded: "No. That wouldn't have been possible because I didn't know where he was on the journey."
Aftermath
Umar Yusaf became emotional describing the crash aftermath. He said the passenger in Mr Jenkins' car was unconscious, and he placed Ioan on a grass verge, asking an onlooker for a blanket. He then returned to his brother's crashed BMW, finding Abubakr confused and sitting in the passenger seat of the Audi. "He appeared to be very confused. He looked like he didn't know what was happening," Umar Yusaf said.
He left the scene with his brother in the Audi, driving to Tesco in Welshpool. When asked why he didn't call emergency services, he said: "I felt I was in auto-pilot mode. I wasn't thinking straight. I had seen the aftermath of a very serious collision and seen my brother initially after the collision." He recalled others were on the phone. He later tried to drive back to the scene. The trial continues.
