The car that hit Rebecca Steer on Oswestry last year kept moving forwards even as she was underneath it, a murder trial has heard.

Stephen McHugh is accused of Miss Steer’s murder and causing Kyle Roberts grievous bodily harm in October 2022 after the car he was driving mounted a kerb in Willow Street. 

He denies both charges but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and actual bodily harm against Miss Steer and Mr Roberts, respectively. 

At day two of the trial at Stafford Crown Court, Alex Coulson, a passenger in the car, was called to the stand to give evidence for the prosecution.

FOLLOW PROCEEDINGS LIVE: LIVE: Day Two of the Rebecca Steer murder trial

However, proceedings were paused to allow lead prosecutor Kevin Hegarty KC to lodge an application to, as Justice Andrew Baker told the jury, ‘treat the witness in a way they would not normally be treated’. 

This stemmed from what Mr Hegarty KC viewed as discrepancies between Mr Coulson’s statement to police in October 2022 and in court on Thursday. 

Mr Justice Baker upheld the application and with court underway again, Mr Hegarty KC challenged the witness to ‘stick to his statement’.  

Mr Coulson told the court that he had spent the day with McHugh, completing errands before going to watch Morda FC, near Oswestry, and then drinking at the Black Lion pub in Salop Road, and the Unicorn pub in Unicorn Road.  

READ MORE: Car 'used as weapon to murder Rebecca Steer', trial is told

The court heard that they had gone to a nightclub, and it was Mr Coulson who had assaulted two people in Festival Square. The witness was then asked about Miss Steer’s death.  

He initially told Mr Hegarty KC that McHugh had been agitated about a group of people outside Grill Out shouting at him and even throwing something at the car.  

But the prosecutor told the court that in his statement to police on October 17 last year, Mr Coulson had said that McHugh was angry and ‘out of control’, which the witness, agreed with.  

He said that McHugh shouted back at the group which, under cross examination from defence barrister Paul Hynes KC, he says could have been ‘I can’t be a***d with you’. 

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Mr Coulson told the prosecution that he did not believe McHugh had become angry until the shouting but that fellow car passenger Kyle Dwyer told them the group of people were not one that had assaulted earlier.  

Regarding the incident, Mr Coulson confirms that he saw Miss Steer at the front of the car, on the driver’s side, and confirms ‘she went under the car’. 

“That’s all I know,” he said. 

“It kept going forward and I heard ‘crunching sounds’ from under the car.” 

When asked if the car was impeded or diverted, he said ‘no, not sure’ but added that he thought the car was slowed down by a body under the car - but continued moving forwards.

Mr Coulson told both sides in examination and cross-examination that he was shocked by the incident and that he told McHugh ‘I can’t believe you did that’ which, in cross-examination, he said McHugh replied by saying he didn’t mean to. 

He added that the defendant was ‘crying and panicking’ after crashing the car and abandoning it in Harlech Court.  

The trial continues.