A drunk Mercedes driver who had just picked his children up from school murdered a cyclist after the victim had called him a 'd***head', a court heard.
asserted
court → pick → him
David Morgan, 40, swerved his car into cyclist Richard Smith, 50, in Norwich on May 8, after he got angry that Smith had allegedly touched his wing mirror and sworn at him.
uncertain
Smith → swerve → him
Mr Smith, a father-of-three, had been cycling home from work when he hit a kerb, flew over his handlebars and suffered devastating head injuries, despite wearing a helmet.
asserted
he → cycle → helmet
He died three days later in hospital.
asserted
He → die → hospital
Today, Norwich Crown Court heard how Morgan had drunk about four pints at a pub before he went to pick up his two children from primary school at around 3pm.
asserted
he → hear → pm
Mr Smith was on his way home from his job at a fire hose company shortly after 5pm when he encountered Morgan.
asserted
he → encounter → Morgan
Prosecutor Charles Myatt told the court: 'David Morgan was driving his white Mercedes along Chartwell Road when he collided with a cyclist, Richard Smith.
'It's the crown's case that the collision was a deliberate act by David Morgan and was possibly done by some perceived slight he had suffered from Mr Smith moments before.
uncertain
he → tell → Smith
'As a result of the collision, Mr Smith was thrown into the air and onto the road.'
asserted
Smith → throw → road
Father-of-three Richard Smith (pictured), 50, a sales manager at a fire safety firm, died after suffering traumatic head injuries on May 8
David Morgan (pictured), 40, was drunk while driving his Mercedes with his children in tow, a court heard today
uncertain
court → picture → tow
Mr Wyatt continued: 'He suffered extensive head injuries.
asserted
He → continue → injuries
He was wearing a protective helmet.
asserted
He → wear → helmet
He died three days later in hospital on May 11 this year.'
uncertain
He → die → May
Witnesses told police they had seen Morgan deliberately swerve into Mr Smith and knock him off his bike.
asserted
Morgan → tell → bike
Police collected CCTV footage from the Sole and Heel pub in the Rackheath area of Norwich.
asserted
Police → collect → Norwich
It showed Morgan, wearing a white tracksuit, entering the pub at 12.30pm on May 8 and drinking four pints of Peroni lager.
uncertain
Morgan → show → lager
He was then seen leaving at around 3pm to go and pick his children from primary school.
asserted
He → see → school
The police said Morgan then returned to the pub with his children in tow, having sent a friend a message at 3.40pm saying: 'Yo, oi, I'm now heading to the Sole and Heel so I'll be there in eight minutes.
asserted
I → say → minutes
Do you want to meet me there.
asserted
you → want → me
'
It was when he was travelling from that second visit to the pub and into Norwich at around 5pm that he hit Mr Smith.
asserted
he → travel → Smith
He was travelling from that second visit to the pub and into Norwich at around 5pm when he hit Mr Smith.
asserted
he → travel → Smith
Mr Smith, pictured in a photo released by his family, was rushed to Norwich Hospital but died three days after being hit by Morgan's car, on May 11
uncertain
Smith → picture → May
The court heard that ten minutes before the collision, at about 4.50pm, Morgan and Mr Smith were each travelling along Chartwell Road separately.
asserted
Morgan → hear → Road
One woman told police that she had been driving along the same road at that time with Morgan's white Mercedes behind her.
asserted
she → tell → her
She saidthat they arrived at some traffic lights and Mr Smith was on her right-hand side, she said in her evidence.
asserted
she → arrive → evidence
Mr Myatt told the court: 'She heard the cyclist sound as if he was shouting at the Mercedes driver, calling him something like a d***head or k***head.'
asserted
he → tell → d***head
The lights turned green and Mr Smith went ahead of her and returned to the left-hand side of the road.
asserted
Smith → turn → road
She then overtook the cyclist.
asserted
She → overtake → cyclist
Mr Myatt said: 'She saw the Mercedes appeared to be trying to overtake her.
asserted
Mercedes → say → her
She saw that as the Mercedes came alongside the cyclist, the Mercedes moved quickly to the left and drove at the cyclist.
asserted
Mercedes → see → cyclist
She heard the sound of the impact and saw the cyclist flip over the handlebars and land on his head and shoulders on the road.
asserted
cyclist → hear → road
'After that, the Mercedes went on, drove past her and did not stop.'
asserted
Mercedes → go → her
She took the Mercede's registration number.
asserted
She → take → number
Another male witness had been driving in the opposite direction.
asserted
witness → drive → direction
Mr Myatt said: 'He saw the Mercedes making contact with the cyclist and could see the Mercedes was gesturing at the cyclist with his outstretched left arm as if he was shaking his fist or finger.
uncertain
he → say → fist
It appeared he was saying something while making that gesture.
asserted
he → appear → gesture
Mr Smith suffered fractures to the right side and base of his skull and cause of death was logged as 'traumatic head injuries'.
asserted
cause → suffer → injuries
He was rushed to Norwich Hospital, where medics determined that he could not survive his head injuries.
uncertain
he → rush → injuries
He died at around 5pm on May 11, three days later.
uncertain
He → die → May
Morgan was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder just before 7pm on May 8.
uncertain
Morgan → arrest → May
'When he was asked if he understood the reason for his arrest, he said he believed the driver of his vehicle had been in a collision,' Mr Myatt said.
asserted
Myatt → ask → collision
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
