Van driver cleared of wrongdoing after reversing over and killing man on Leeds street
Jury deliberated for just two hours
A van driver who reversed over and killed a man stood in the street has been cleared of wrongdoing.
Martin Rowse, a popular rugby league coach at Hunslet ARLFC, was found not guilty of causing death by careless driving following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Uroy Randal, 47, died after the Renault Master backed over him as Rowse reversed out of a cul-de-sac in Belle Isle.
But following the five-day trial, the jury deliberated for around two hours before returning their verdict.
During the trial, it was heard that 57-year-old Rowse had driven to the end of the Blakeney Road at around 5.30pm on January 25, 2023, to pick up diesel for a generator.
He needed the fuel to power floodlights for an evening rugby training session.
But rather than attempt to turn the van around, he tried to reverse the 188 metres to the road’s entrance with tragic consequences.
CCTV footage played to the court showed the van reversing slowly along the road.
No rear-view mirror could be used because the back window of the truck was legally blanked out, but Rowse said he continuously checked his wing mirrors.
A reverse beeping noise from the van also continued to sound.
However, Mr Randal appeared to be stood motionless in the middle of the road and he only attempted to move at the very last moment, by which time it was too late.
Having gone under the back wheels, Rowse and his passenger quickly jumped out and tended to him.
Rowse helped give him CPR until paramedics arrived, but he could not be saved.
A forensic collision expert, who had studied the footage, had described to the jury that he thought Rowse’s reversing had been “careful”.
Giving evidence and becoming emotional, Rowse said of Mr Randal’s death: “I have got to the live with this for the rest of my life. I think about it every single day.
“I went there to do a good deed for my friends and my club. It ended in tragedy.”
The Crown had claimed Rowse should have attempted to turn around in a turning circle at the end of the street, but he said that due to parked cars he felt unable to complete the manoeuvre.
He was questioned as to why he did not use his passenger as a banksman - to stand behind the vehicle and help guide him out safely - but he said it had not crossed his mind.
The collision expert also said that there was no guarantee even a banksman would have been seen by Rowse while he reversed.
The court heard that Mr Randal suffered from a rare congenital neurological disorder, Sturge-Webber syndrome, that can cause seizures. He also had other disorders, including schizophrenia.
He had traces of cannabis in his system, although it was unknown if the drug would have affected him prior to his death.
Paying tribute in the days that followed, his family said: “Uroy was a kind a gentle soul who wouldn’t hurt a fly. He loved animals, especially cats and dogs. He kept himself to himself and loved listening to music.”