A man on trial for murder after ploughing into the back of a motorbike, killing its 17-year-old rider, told a 999 operator 'I think he's dead', a court has heard.
Harley Lea suffered fatal head injuries when he was thrown from the motorbike after it was struck by Brandon Glover's Toyota Corolla on Park Road, near the junction of Blackbrook Road and Boardmans Lane, in the early hours of October 4 2022. Two other men, Jordan Carter and Louis Coleman, who were passengers on Mr Lea's bike, were also injured.
Brandon Glover, 24, of Pasture Close in Clock Face, previously pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, and two counts of attempted GBH and is now on trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Following the incident, Glover remained at the scene and called emergency services.
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Yesterday, March 20, his 999 call was played out in court.
In the call Glover can be heard telling the female operator he had been involved in a traffic accident with two motorbikes.
The operator established that he was in a car and had hit the bikes. He said: “F***ing hell, please send someone.
“It is two motorbikes, I think they are stolen.” She asked if the two bikes crashed into each other, and he responded “No, I crashed into both of them,” before confirming he was in a car.
Glover said: “I just lost control I hit the f***ing lamppost, we need an ambulance now he is bleeding out.
“There are three people on the floor.”
When asked, Glover said two of the males at the scene were breathing and one was not. He continued: "There are no helmets on them, there is blood everywhere.
“I think one of them is dead, I am not going to lie.”
The operator told Glover to try and stay calm and breathe, and said he had done the correct thing by calling them.
He continued: “I think they are stolen bikes. I was coming down the road and two bikes, I f***ing crashed into them.
“I think he’s dead.”
Glover repeatedly said: “I think he’s dead”, during the 999 call, and periodically said he felt sick or was going to be sick, but then added “it’s not about me” on one occasion.
The 24 year old said: “My brother’s just had his bike stolen so we went out to have a look.
“They had their brakes on and I put my brakes on and they have just gone flying.
“They didn’t have f***ing lights on or anything. “From the street lights I saw that there were two bikes if you get me, from the movements.
“Two of them slammed on, I think they were going too fast from what I gathered, I can’t even remember.
“I was right behind and I hit them.”
The post-mortem report was also read out during the trial, and detailed the injuries of Mr Lea. He was found to have multiple bone fractures to both arms and right thigh, and severe trauma to the head including a large skull fracture that extended completely over the skull base.
He suffered several haemorrhages, damage to one of the main arteries to his brain and damage to the brain stem, plus left sided rib fractures. A toxicology report concluded that no natural disease was found and though there was evidence of prior cannabis use, that had no significant pathological contribution to death.
The report concluded that Mr Lea died of head injuries sustained during the road traffic incident. A police constable who attended the scene and arrested Glover also wrote a statement which was read to the court.
He confirmed that he had conducted an alcohol test on Glover which returned a score of 0, and that a drug test confirmed he had no drugs in his system. The officer cautioned and arrested Glover on suspicion of attempted murder and took him to a custody suite.
However the officer was then informed by a colleague that Mr Lea was pronounced dead, he further arrested him on the charge of murder.
The trial continues.
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