Oswestry man used "car as a weapon" and killed 22-year-old "innocent bystander"

Stafford Crown Court was told on Wednesday that Rebecca Steer of Llanymynech, Wales, was an "innocent bystander" who was mowed down by Stephen McHugh in Willow Street, Oswestry in the early hours of October 9 last year.

A second pedestrian, Kyle Roberts, was seriously injured in the incident.

Appearing before Mr Justice Andrew Baker, McHugh of Artillery Road, Park Hall, denies the murder of Miss Steer and the grievous bodily harm (GBH) of Mr Roberts, but has admitted to the manslaughter of the young woman and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mr Roberts.

Prosecutor Kevin Hegarty KC said the Crown did not accept the pleas from McHugh and told the jury that they were there to decide if the 27-year-old was in fact guilty of murder and GBH.

In opening the prosecution's case, Mr Hegarty said that a group of young people had congregated outside the Grill Out takeaway in Oswestry at around 2.45am on the night Miss Steer died.

He said that McHugh stopped his gold Volvo in the road outside the takeaway and had "exchanged words" with one or more of the young people.

"At that moment a young woman, Rebecca Steer, was crossing Willow Street. The car was to her left," he said. "All of a sudden, as she was crossing, the Volvo shot backwards. It narrowly missed her. She managed to get out of the way."

But he added: "Her escape was short lived. She got to the other side, and at that moment, Mr McHugh turned his steering wheel in the direction of the people on the pavement and he drove onto the pavement towards that group of people. Rebecca Steer was part of that group."

He said after the car mounted the pavement McHugh then "proceeded to drive through the group of people".

"He did not sound his horn," said Mr Hegarty. "We say he used his car as a weapon. He used the power and weight of the car to strike the group."

He added that the car hit three people: Rebecca Steer, Kyle Roberts and another young man.

"The two men were knocked aside by the front driver's side of the car," said Mr Hegarty. "Rebecca Steer was more towards the front of the car, and as the car increased its speed, she was dragged down under the car."

He told the jury that the car's wheels went over Ms Steer, who suffered "catastrophic internal injury".

Mr Hegarty then explained that Miss Steer was "an innocent bystander" and had not been McHugh's target.

He said: "There was more than one person outside the takeaway that Mr McHugh was angry with. He was heard speaking in an aggresive way."

He added that the way he reversed the car also gave "a clear insight" of what he intended to do.

"We say that was to strike his target with his car," said Mr Hegarty. "We don't suggest that Rebecca Steer was his target. She was in effect, an innocent bystander, but there was somebody there that the defendant wanted to cause serious injury to.

"There was no time for anybody to escape from this. The people pressed themselves against the shop window, pushing each other, stumbling over each other in their panic to avoid being struck. Rebecca Steer had no chance to get away."

The court was then showed CCTV of the incident where both Mr Roberts and Miss Steer were hit by the car.

Mr Hegarty then told the court that two young men had earlier been "beaten up" by McHugh, who mistakenly thought they were part of a group "that caused him trouble the previous weekend".

"He was wrong about that. But what it tells you is that when he saw people he thought had caused him trouble he got involved in violence," said Mr Hegarty.

He said McHugh, with friends Alex Coulson and Stephen Jones, drove to Oswestry town centre in a gold Volvo on the night Miss Steer died.

"Within the car, with Alex Coulson next to him, he [McHugh] saw somebody outside Grill Out and said 'that's them' and he became very, very angry, so much so, Alex Coulson told him to calm down," Mr Hegarty said.

He added that somebody in the group outside the takeaway "either hit Stephen McHugh or hit his car".

"The effect of it was is that Stephen McHugh immediately put the car into reverse as Rebecca Steer was crossing the road. When he finished the reverse manoeuvre, he drove forward into the group," Mr Hegarty said.

He added that the car was later found abandoned in Oswestry prior to McHugh's arrest three days after the incident.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.