Man accused of killing aspiring doctor on Leeds crossing refuses to give evidence at trial
A man accused of mowing down and killing a Leeds teenager has refused to give evidence at his own trial.
Regan Kemp is charged with causing the death of Ashton Kitchen-White, who was killed on a pelican crossing by a speeding car in Middleton earlier this year.
Kemp, 26, denies he was behind the wheel of the powerful Ford Focus ST, blaming a pal instead.
But on day three of the scheduled four-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, he rejected the opportunity to enter the witness box and give his version of events to the jury.
Judge Neil Clark told the court that the jury “may draw inferences” from his refusal.
Earlier in the trial, the Crown played footage taken by a backseat passenger of the Focus at the time of the fatal collision to the jury. They say it clearly shows Kemp behind the wheel and talking in his distinctive south-west accent.
They also said the only fingerprints found in the Focus belonged to Kemp, and that CCTV which caught the car being abandoned moments after the crash showed him exiting from the driver’s door.
Kemp had travelled down from Scotland with friends on Friday, May 16, to complete a proposed swap deal for a VW Golf GTD in Middleton, Leeds. Kemp was driving the Focus from Scotland, while his friends were in a Mini Cooper.
It is alleged Kemp took the proposed recipient of the Focus for a test drive after arriving at the Leeds address around 10pm.
The witness who took the footage from the backseat of the Focus claimed Kemp was “driving like a maniac”, revving the engine and accelerating at speed.
Moments later, the Focus struck 19-year-old Mr Kitchen-White on the pelican crossing on Ring Road Beeston.
Experts calculated the Focus was travelling at 80mph on the 30mph stretch when it hit Mr Kitchen-White. The Crown said he suffered catastrophic injuries and had “no chance” of surviving, given the speed of the car.
Mr Kitchen-White, who had enrolled at Leeds University and harboured ambitions of becoming a doctor, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Minutes after the collision, Kemp got into the Mini Cooper with his friends and drove back up to Scotland. He then made his way back down to his home in Lafrowda Close, Penzance, Cornwall.
An appeal was put out for his arrest and he handed himself into the police station days later.
The trial continues.