Uber Driver Acquitted of Murder in Customer's Death

An Uber driver, Hayadulla Turkmani, 53, has been acquitted of murder and manslaughter in the death of a customer, Michael Ashton, 28. Jurors at Basildon Crown Court reached a unanimous verdict of not guilty on those charges after two and a half days of deliberation. Turkmani was, however, found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

The incident occurred on September 26 of the previous year when Turkmani was dropping Ashton and his partner off at their home in Basildon, Essex. Ashton, a council worker, became ill and vomited in the back of the vehicle. After Ashton and his partner went inside to retrieve cleaning supplies to address the mess, a collision involving Turkmani's Uber occurred just moments later. Ashton sustained a catastrophic brain injury and died in hospital on October 4.

Prosecutors contended that Turkmani deliberately ran over Ashton in a fit of anger. Turkmani, who fled Afghanistan in 1999 to escape Taliban persecution and later became a British citizen in 2011, testified that he was "panicked and frightened" and "did not see" the six-foot-tall man. He stated he was reversing to get away after Ashton shouted at him and ran towards the car following a dispute over the vomiting.

Turkmani told the court he felt a "jerk" while reversing and believed he had struck an object, stating he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He denied deliberately driving into Ashton, claiming it was only after exiting the vehicle that he realized someone was beneath it. He also stated he was "very affected" by the event, drawing on his experiences during the war in Afghanistan, and that he "froze" when he saw Ashton under the car.

During the trial, the prosecutor suggested the "jerk" Turkmani described was the sensation of braking before intentionally hitting Ashton, rather than an accidental collision. Turkmani rejected this, stating he didn't know he had hit a person.

Spectators in the public gallery reacted emotionally to the verdicts, with some crying out and shouting. The judge admonished the gallery for their outbursts. Sentencing for the dangerous driving conviction will occur at a later date.