Witness heard 'blood-curdling scream' as Ken Kiley knocked down by Corsa

The sound of the crash that killed Kenneth Kiley was “the most horrendous" she had ever heard.

The 75-year-old was knocked down as he returned home from a dinner with wife Marion when they were involved in a collision with another car.

The Kileys' car spun 180 degrees and knocked against a street sign as the other car - a blue Vauxhall Corsa - drove off. Mr Kiley got out of the car and began to walk in the direction of the Corsa with pen and paper in hand to get the driver's insurance details, a court has heard.

Prosecutors say Corsa driver Dario Carboni, 25, sped back down the road and ''put his foot down'' and knocked him down, killing him.

Carboni denies murder, manslaughter, and death by dangerous driving, saying he wasn't behind the wheel.

Neighbours Rachel Whetton and her husband Stephen gave evidence at the trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The couple said they were sitting in their back garden in July last year when they heard a car accelerating, a “blood-curdling” scream followed by a “massive thud”.

Rachel, who lives on the same road as Mr Kiley and his wife Marion, said: “We couldn't see the car from our garden, but you could tell by the sound of the engine it was going too fast down the road.

“We could hear the car turn off Southernwood Drive and into Caraway Drive, and then come back and turn back onto Southernwood Drive.

“It's a 30mph zone, but it should be about 10mph because it's such a small strip of road,” Rachel added.

“Probably about 30 seconds later it came back up Southernwood Drive going really fast. We could hear the engine revving.

“That's when we heard a man shout, and then the most horrendous sound I've ever heard in my life.

“It was the sound of something heavy hitting something soft. There was about a second between the shout and the sound of the hitting. My husband instinctively said: 'Someone's been hit by that car'. He just knew.”

Rachel's husband Stephen added: “We could hear the driver just put his foot down, there was no let-off.

“A couple of seconds later, we heard a blood-curdling scream as if something was going to happen, and then a massive thud.

“I ran down to the end of the garden and stood on the wall. I didn't see the car leaving, but I saw a guy in his 70s, with his head on the curb and his feet out in the road.”

Stephen added that he and Rachel phoned the paramedics and ran out into the street.

He said that Mr Kiley had a receipt with blood on it lying by his feet, and a pen up by his shoulder.

Thomas Blackford, 23, who lives with his mother Carol Blackford opposite Stephen and Rachel Whetton, also called the paramedics after spotting Mr Kiley in the street.

Appearing in court, Thomas said that he was in his bedroom watching television when he heard the sound of “screeching tyres”.

He said: “The first thing I heard was the sound of screeching tyres. I didn't really think much of it, and continued sitting on my bed.

“Then a couple of seconds passed, and I heard a loud thud.

“It sounded like something heavy had been dropped – like maybe a recycling bin had been knocked over.

“It was loud enough to make me get out of bed to see what was going on.

“I peered through the blinds and saw a many lying face down with his head towards the curb and his legs out into the road.

“I thought that the man had collapsed, so I shouted out to my mother, who is a healthcare assistant, as I thought that she could assist him.”

Mr Blackford said that he phoned the paramedics and, following their instructions, guided his mother on how to perform CPR effectively.

He added: “Upon seeing him, I realised that something more sinister had happened. There was blood all over his face, and the skin on his hand was almost worn down to the bone.

“The only other thing I saw was a navy blue car wing mirror next to the man.”

Carboni claims during the second fatal collision the Corsa was not being driven by him but by Patrick Cunnington - who was also in the car at the time.

The trial continues.