ONE of the men accused of killing Sam Wilson in York has said he punched him in the street and saw him go to the ground before he was run over by a taxi.

Jack Alexander, who had drunk about ten pints that night, said he did not see what happened to 21-year-old Mr Wilson in Haxby Road after the blow, because he had ridden off on his bike, but the taxi had passed him and he then heard a “thud.”

He said he was “distraught when he realised what had happened.”

Alexander, 21 of Fox Covert, Huntington, denies the manslaughter of Mr Wilson on October 11 last year, as do Linden Lee Smith, 20 of Kirkham Avenue, Bell Farm and Robbie Mark McHale, 20 of Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall.

He said he was “distraught when he realised what had happened.”

Alexander, 21, of Fox Covert, Huntington, York, denies the manslaughter of Mr Wilson on October 11 last year, as do Linden Lee Smith, 20, of Kirkham Avenue, Bell Farm, York, and Robbie Mark McHale, 20 of Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall, York. The prosecution claim he was in the road because of the alleged assault and that substantially contributed to his death. The trio also deny assaulting Mr Wilson’s friend, Henry Smith.

Alexander told Leeds Crown Court he was on licence at the time from a 16-month prison sentence imposed in January, 2014, for violent disorder, having been released in June.

On the evening of October 10, he began drinking in the New Earswick Sports Club and had four to five pints of Carling before going to the Castle Howard Ox pub in The Groves, where he was playing pool and had “probably five pints, maybe six and a couple of Jaeger bombs.”

He “was drunk but not that drunk” when he left with Linden Smith, McHale and two girls, using four bikes, intending to go to a house party in New Earswick, the court heard.

When they got to Haxby Road he was ahead with one of the girls, Courtney Conlon, riding on his handlebars.

He did not notice any pedestrians but heard a commotion and arguing and looking back saw McHale and Smith and two other men arguing.

He told the jury they were “like stood face to face” although he could not hear what they were saying. “I could tell something was kicking off.”

He got off his bike and jogged back to them to try and stop what was happening. “I was shouting woah, woah, stop, stop.”

He said he said something like “we’re all drunk, you go your way, we’ll go ours.”

There was some more shouting and he said Sam Wilson walked towards him. Alexander said he was backing away but said to Mr Wilson something along the lines of, if he wanted it “let’s have it.”

He told Gordon Cole QC, defending him, he did not really want to fight and was trying to scare the other man and warn him off “because I’d just got out of prison and I didn’t want to go back.”

“I was backing up, he’s gone to swing for me but I moved out of the way and I hit him.”

He said the punch landed on Sam Wilson’s chin and he “went to the floor backwards.” He then ran over to the others and told McHale to go and they rode away. He said when he got to New Earswick “I was crying my eyes out in a bad way.” He had gone on to the house party and had sniffed cocaine, “trying to sort my head out because it was all over the place. I thought it might help.”

Mr Cole asked him: “When you punched Sam Wilson, what was going through your mind, what were you thinking?”

Alexander said: “I was quite afraid, I didn’t want to get hit.”

McHale told the jury the incident started in Haxby Road when Mr Wilson and his friend, Henry Smith, had laughed at him, swaying around the road as he was cycling because he was “pretty drunk.”

He had drunk four or five pints of Carling and four Jagermeisters in the club and another three to four pints in the pub. He said he asked the pair what they were laughing at and they began exchanging abuse and swearing at each other. He got off his bike and Linden Smith followed and the four squared up to each other. He said he was willing to fight and as he got close “pushed Sam’s face away.” In response, Henry Smith punched him in the face on the right temple and they began scuffling in the road.

It was then Alexander had run up shouting to stop and they both got up.

McHale said he was winded and bent over trying to catch his breath when Alexander grabbed him saying “let’s go.”

As he left, he saw Mr Wilson lying in the road and, cycling away, saw the taxi going towards him.

He told Christopher Tehrani QC, defending him, “It was just a tragic accident. No one could have stopped it.”

He said in hindsight he realised it was the wrong thing to do to get off his bike and engage in the verbal argument that night. “It was probably the biggest mistake of my life.”

The trial continues next week.