Murder accused driver ‘sped up’ before fatal collision
Rex Martinich and Andrew Stafford |
A driver accused of murder accelerated and “swerved violently” just before running down a man during a road rage-inspired car chase, a jury has heard.
Umar Hussein Alkhalifa Al Enizi, 24, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Troy Edward Vandenberg at Browns Plains, south of Brisbane, on September 17, 2021.
There was no dispute 25-year-old Mr Vandenberg died metres from his own home due to injuries caused when Al Enizi drove into him with a white Audi vehicle, the Queensland Supreme Court jury heard.
The jury on Tuesday heard from witnesses who were driving along the road where Mr Vandenberg was struck and flung into the air.
A white vehicle aimed and drove at Mr Vandenberg, who was shirtless at the time, truck driver Michael Columbus testified.
“The car sped up, turned into him, hit him and then kept going,” Mr Columbus said.
“I saw someone running out and I saw the car speed up and hit him.”
Mr Vandenberg’s airborne body was initially mistaken for a piece of rubbish by truck driver Robert Mackenzie, the jury heard.
“I was about 500 metres behind (Al Enizi’s car). It swerved violently to the right. I thought it was a box that it had run into. It flew up in the air across the road,” Mr Mackenzie said.
Mr Vandenberg and Al Enizi were strangers who became involved in a roadside brawl over a traffic disagreement about 30 minutes before the fatal strike.
The pair coincidentally took off in the same direction to their homes in neighbouring suburbs, leading to further confrontations.
Defence barrister Saul Holt has denied Al Enizi deliberately ran into Mr Vandenberg or had intention to kill or seriously harm and was reacting to the deceased throwing a hammer.
“It was an instinctive act in the moment of sheer panic by a 20-year-old who had been terrorised,” Mr Holt previously told the jury.
Another witness testified Mr Vandenberg looked “angry” and motioned to throw an object as he was hit by a white vehicle.
“I came to a stop. I heard a vehicle accelerating quite quickly and in a matter of a split second I saw a white car to my left,” Rebbeca Noble said.
“I was at a complete stop – the vehicle kept accelerating, cut me off and hit the man.”
Mr Vandenberg’s family members wept in court as Ms Noble described how Mr Vandenberg was thrown three or four metres and the white vehicle drove away.
The jury was shown a diagram Ms Noble drew that depicted her car stopped in the right hand lane and Al Enizi’s car swerved abruptly in front, missing her by a “hair’s breadth” before going on to strike Mr Vandenberg.
Mr Vandenberg ran out onto the road “with intent” and jumped to throw an object with force just as he was struck, Ms Noble said.
The trial continues before Acting Justice Peter Applegarth.
AAP
