David Morgan, 40, is on trial accused of murder after allegedly striking cyclist Richard Smith, 50, with his Mercedes on May 8 in Norwich. The court heard that Morgan, who had been drinking at a pub, was captured on CCTV dancing and ordering pints hours before the incident.
CCTV footage from the Sole and Heel pub showed Morgan, wearing a white tracksuit, animatedly ordering two pints of lager. He had reportedly consumed four pints of Peroni between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. before leaving to pick up his children from primary school. His white Mercedes was seen on the pub's car park CCTV making a wild U-turn and speeding away.
Prosecutors allege that Morgan deliberately swerved his vehicle into Mr. Smith after the cyclist allegedly touched his wing mirror and called him a "d***head." Mr. Smith, a father of three, was cycling home from work when the collision occurred. He was thrown over his handlebars, despite wearing a helmet, and sustained severe head injuries. He died in hospital three days later.
Witnesses told police they saw Morgan deliberately swerve into Mr. Smith. One woman driving on the same road reported seeing the Mercedes attempt to overtake her and then move sharply left towards the cyclist, resulting in the impact. She noted the Mercedes did not stop afterward and provided its registration number to authorities.
Another witness driving in the opposite direction observed the Mercedes making contact with the cyclist and saw the driver gesturing with his left arm. Phone footage from outside his father's house, where Morgan went after the collision, captured him on the phone recounting the incident, stating, "I swerved into him and went 'F*** you' ... and he's knocked off." He also said, "No c*** is going to touch my car."
Morgan was arrested later that day. Bodycam footage showed him slurring and admitting to having had drinks when asked by officers. He reacted aggressively to being handcuffed, telling officers to "f*** off." He was breathalyzed at the police station and found to have 57mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35mg.
At the start of the hearing, the indictment was amended to include a second count of manslaughter, to which Morgan pleaded guilty. The trial continues.