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Driver in crash that killed two teenagers 'lied about drink to police'

A motorist lied about the amount he drank both before and after a crash with a motorcycle in which the two teenagers riding it were killed, a jury was told.

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Alex Lees, left, and Tarik Campbell, right, died in a crash in March 2018

Tragedy struck when Stephen Lloyd drove across the path of the motorcycle in his red Rover 25 while turning into the driveway of a property in Broadway West, Walsall, at 11.37pm on March 13 last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Alexander Lees aged 19, who was in control of the motorcycle, and his 18-year-old pillion passenger Tarik Campbell were both ‘catastrophically and fatally’ injured, said Mr Paul Spratt, prosecutor.

The bike was estimated to have been travelling at up to 81mph in a 30 limit before the smash but the prosecutor insisted: “The motorcycle was there to be seen and was a clear presence on the road.

"Its speed does not free the defendant of his responsibility to drive with care and attention.”

More than double the limit

Lloyd, aged 60, blew 82 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when police arrived at the scene. The legal limit is 35.

He admitted drinking before the accident and insisted he downed more alcohol in his home immediately after the impact but gave three conflicting accounts of the amount involved, said Mr Spratt.

Tarik was aged 18 when he died and Alex was 19

Lloyd allegedly told the police: “I had consumed some alcohol before driving but the real reason I was over the limit was that I consumed alcohol in the house after the collision and before the arrival of police.

"I don’t know where the motorcycle came from. I didn't see its light."

Mr Spratt argued that the headlight was illuminated and continued: "The driver was travelling in the opposite direction. The motorcycle was 150 metres away from the defendant and clear to be seen when he began the manoeuvre."

The bike braked hard but could not avoid careering into the side of the Rover. Lloyd allegedly did not call the emergency services but others did.

Mr Spratt told the jury: “He is lying and has an unreliable recall of events as far as his drinking is concerned. There was no bottle of brandy in the house.

"He bears primary and significant responsibility for the deaths because he fell below the standard of careful and competent driving. The road was lit, dry and with limited traffic."

Lloyd denies causing the death of the two teenagers by driving carelessly while over the drink-drive limit and the case continues.

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