Accused brothers 'appeared to be racing' before horror smash that killed dad

Witness tells trial pair were driving ‘alarmingly fast’ before one collided with car

- By DAVID POWELL Daily Post Reporter

A DRIVER found a car “in a hedge on fire” moments after he was overtaken by two vehicles that appeared to be racing before a fatal crash

Father-of-two Rhys Jenkins, 41, of Deuddw, Powys, died, and his nine-year-old son Ioan was seriously injured following the crash on the Belan Straight on the A483 near Welshpool last November 16.

Abubakr Ben Yusaf, 29, and Umar Ben Yusaf, 34, both deny causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured.

On the second day of the trial at Mold Crown Court yesterday several witnesses said the brothers seemed to be racing their cars.

One man, Tyler Lewis, who was driving his VW Polo towards Welshpool at about 6pm on the night of the crash said a red or orange car overtook him then a blue car overtook him “on a series of bends.”

Mr Lewis told the prosecutor John Philpotts it had not been safe for the blue car to overtake him because “we could not see what was coming.”

He came upon the accident soon afterwards involving a silver car. He said: “As I was coming past a farm it looked like the car was in a hedge on fire”

Mr Tyler said it was a silver car - not the BMW or the blue car in the hedge.. He said a BMW was parked up the road and appeared to be “very damaged”

He told the prosecutor he stopped and got out and saw a tall man with a “big black beard” at the scene.