Bowles driver owns up to dangerous driving deaths
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• In a dramatic twist to the Roy Bowles Transport manslaughter case, driver Andrew Cox has admitted responsibility for causing two deaths in the M25 crash two years ago.
Cox has been on trial at the Old Bailey along with directors Stephen and Julie Bowles and company secretary Victor Gilliard. Last week, Cox—who had previously maintained his innocence—admitted two charges of causing the deaths of Barry Davis and Peter Morgan by dangerous driving. Although he was remanded on bail he was warned that he might face jail.
At the beginning of the week the court heard that Cox was able to trick his bosses into allowing him to drive dangerously long hours. When an investigator searched Cox's cab he found 82 tachograph charts.
Opening the defence for Stephen Bowles, barrister Philip Sapsford said Bowles was simply unaware of Cox's trickery. Until Cox had finally faced up to what he had done, he had frustrated the jury by denying the charges, Sapsford added.
You may think he had not only pulled the wool over your eyes but he pulled the wool over the eyes of Roy Bowles Transport Ltd." said Sapsford. "The system has been frustrated by this man. How on earth could he explain the fact that he had 82 charts in his lorry cab?"
The possibility that Cox had been "under the influence of cannabis" could not be excluded, Sapsford suggested. "There had been no evidence that anything was wrong with Cox's truck. He had been the only one driving that particular vehicle and it appeared he had interfered with the speed limiter. Documents will show you that the company has a secondto-none maintenance level.
The trial continues.