A 19-year-old woman was tragically crushed between a lamppost and a van by her 40-year-old boyfriend, a court has heard. The incident occurred in Oldbury, West Midlands, on Bonfire Night last year after Lily Whitehouse had visited her baby in hospital.
Prosecution Case
Mohammed Azim, a recovery lorry driver, is alleged to have killed Ms Whitehouse by pinning her with his Mercedes Sprinter van during an argument. The case is being heard at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Azim, who speaks reasonably good English, was assisted in the dock by a Mirpuri interpreter. He denies murder.
Prosecution counsel Rachel Brand KC told the jury of seven men and five women that Ms Whitehouse had been visiting her baby, fathered by another man and born in September 2025, at the neonatal intensive care unit of Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley on the evening she was killed. Azim, of Tividale Road in Tipton, had been in an intermittent relationship with Ms Whitehouse since 2023 and collected her after she disembarked a bus from the hospital.
Instead of driving her to her home in Amber Drive, Oldbury, Azim drove past her address and onto Old Park Lane. Ms Brand stated: One of the things you will have to consider is why the defendant did that – why did he drive past if he was giving her a lift home, why not drop her off? We say the likelihood is the two were having an argument and that explains why he drove past the road where she lived.
CCTV Evidence
CCTV footage from a nearby school captured audio of Azim's recovery truck idling for approximately 16 minutes before the vehicle comes into view and Ms Whitehouse is seen walking briskly along the road on the driver's side. Ms Brand informed the court: The defendant is driving the truck as if he was nudging or pushing her along the road. Lily started running, the vehicle is pursuing her at a low speed but, nevertheless, we say he was clearly using that large, heavy vehicle as a weapon.
As the truck disappears from view, a loud bang is heard on the CCTV, which the prosecution suggests was the truck striking a lamppost. Ms Brand said: We believe she was crushed against a lamppost, perhaps with the driver's door of the truck open at the time.
Injuries and Aftermath
A Home Office pathologist found that Ms Whitehouse sustained injuries predominantly to her right side while upright, including a broken upper arm, fractured ribs, a laceration to her liver, and traumatic chest injuries causing severe bleeding that led to her death. After the incident, Azim allegedly lifted her into his truck, dialled 999, and claimed he had witnessed her being struck by a vehicle that failed to stop. He parked his truck on nearby Park Street and placed Ms Whitehouse on the pavement, appearing agitated when police and paramedics arrived.
The court heard: He told them they took too long to arrive, and that she was gone. When police spoke to him he gave a detailed description about what happened, said he'd seen it happen and wished he had been able to chase the vehicle. Paramedics and doctors tried to save Lily but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found the defendant's account odd, as he admitted knowing Ms Whitehouse, making it a strange coincidence. He was arrested on suspicion of murder but answered no comment to most questions in interview.
Defence and Trial
Ms Brand added: The defendant may try to suggest she fell to the ground and he accidentally ran her over. We suggest that cannot be true considering the loud banging noise. That is the truck impacting with something hard, not the sound of a truck hitting a slightly built woman who was 5ft 3in and less than seven stone. She emphasised that Azim chose to move Ms Whitehouse rather than simply call emergency services, distancing himself from the scene. The trial, before High Court judge Mr Justice Murray, is expected to last two weeks.
