Uber driver who mowed down and killed customer after he was sick in the back seat of his car is acquitted of murder

An Uber driver has been cleared of murder and manslaughter after running over a passenger who had been sick in his car, but jurors found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. The case turned on whether Hayadulla Turkmani deliberately drove into Michael Ashton after an argument or collided with him while trying to reverse away, and the verdict leaves sentencing to be decided.

Ashton, 28, was dropped off outside his home in Basildon, Essex, shortly before midnight on 26 September last year. He and his partner went inside to fetch wipes and clean a small amount of vomit from the car; moments later, Ashton suffered a catastrophic brain injury in the collision and died in hospital on 4 October. Turkmani, 53, said he was panicked and frightened during the confrontation and did not realise he had struck Ashton until he got out of the car.