For our report on day one of the trial, click here.
“Let me die” – those were the words of defendant Raeqa Liaqat as she was treated by paramedics in the aftermath of the car crash which killed Redditch teenager Ollie Sellers.
The jury heard an array of new evidence during day two of the trial, April 2, which is to determine if Liaqat, aged 25, was driving dangerously.
First was a written witness statement from the paramedic who attended the crash on the A4023 Coventry Highway in Redditch just after 8.30pm on May 27, 2017.
She said: “When I arrived at the scene Raeqa was wedged in the back of her red car. She was conscious and breathing but in a great amount of pain.
“When I spoke to her she said ‘let me die’ and became very aggressive and abusive towards me and my staff who were treating her.
“She said she hadn’t been drinking and had taken no medication before driving, but refused to state where she had been sitting in the car – or if she was wearing a seat-belt.”
Her witness statement was echoed by Liaqat’s friend of two years, Nazia Parveen, who was called to the stand to discuss the day’s events as she saw them.
Ms Parveen admitted she had received a phone call from Liaqat at around 8.28pm while on her sister’s driveway – a phone call which was later discovered to be running for more than one hour when Police Constable Diane Stevens found Liaqat’s phone in her car following the crash.
“I was about to go inside my sister’s house with my children but I got a call from Raeqa so I decided to answer it,” said Ms Parveen.
“We never actually spoke any words to each other – all I could hear was Raeqa screaming down the phone.
“I was asking her ‘what’s wrong?’ But she she was unresponsive and I couldn’t make anything out.”
When pushed by prosecutor Paul Whitfield on what she heard, Ms Parveen said: “I heard Raeqa say ‘I want to die’.”
Defence solicitor Mr Gatley asked Ms Parveen if she had heard any ‘car crash sounds’ while on the phone, to which she replied “no.”
After not getting a coherent response Ms Parveen decided to leave her children with her sister and go visit Liaqat’s house, hoping to find her there.
She was greeted by Liaqat’s parents at the door who told her their daughter had gone to a nearby fast-food restaurant.
When Ms Parveen realised Liaqat wasn’t at the restaurant she headed along the A4023 Highway not knowing where to go next.
She came to a halt after spotting police blocking the road to stop drivers getting close to the collision.
“The phone call was still running during this time,” said Ms Parveen, “I told the police officers I had received the call and I was worried about my friend but they wouldn’t let me get any closer.”
Ms Parveen also revealed that earlier on in the day – at around 6pm – herself and Liaqat visited a park near both of their homes to ‘pass time’ during their first day of fasting.
“We started our fast for Ramadan at 3.30am that morning and had gone the entire day without eating or drinking water.
“We were waiting until the sunset so we could have something to eat – which we expected to happen at around 9pm.
“Raeqa appeared to be fine when I left her although she did complain about having a headache.”
Prosecutor Mr Whitfield revealed a string of WhatsApp messages which were sent between 7pm and 8.10pm, after Ms Parveen had dropped Liaqat back at her home.
In the exchange Liaqat explained to her that ‘Nav and Gul’, who are Liaqat’s cousin and brother-in-law, were ‘kicking off again’ and ‘fighting’.
“I was worried about her,” said Ms Parveen, “Because of what she was saying.
“I still don’t know what happened with her family but after the last text she rang me a short time later.”
She also revealed she had seen Liaqat faint at a charity event sometime between January 2017 and May 2017 but she couldn’t recall the exact date or even month.
After day two of the trial, Ollie’s dad Paul said: “It doesn’t change much, we are here to get justice for Ollie.”
The trial will continue tomorrow at 10am.
