Woman ‘did not see’ partner drive her car into crowd, trial hears

When shown CCTV footage of her and Anthony going back to her car, the court heard Carrier told police that when he took the keys from her she “genuinely believed he was returning to the car to seek help for his injuries”.

She said it was “a no-brainer” to walk away from the group of footballers after the argument and “assumed he was coming back for me” after he took the keys and left her waiting on the road.

“In the heat of the moment, when everything is happening so quickly… when you’re in a state of panic you don’t really think rationally,” she said.

When shown CCTV footage Carrier said she “did not see” Anthony drive her own car past her, and though she was on Gedling Road at the time of the crash she said she did not see it, having told police she only “heard a bang”.

Jurors heard Carrier was locked out of her house after the crash, but met Anthony – who had lost his phone during the incident – outside her property at about 02:30, where he told her he had been in “an accident”.

They travelled together to an industrial unit used by her partner in Bulwell as “I just assumed I would be safer with Duane than I would on the streets on my own”, but said she was not involved in deciding where they went.

“We didn’t know where to go or what to do,” she said.

Carrier told jurors she did not hear a number of conversations Anthony had when using her phone, but said he knew the security code and frequently used the device.

The court heard Anthony and Carrier went to a friend’s property in Radcliffe, where she said she had seen news of the crash online and had advised him to hand himself in.

“He still said it was an accident, so I sort of suggested he would still need to speak to the police,” she said.

“He said that he would [but] he just wanted to get his head straight.”

Police arrived and arrested Anthony at about 17:30 on 9 May, and Carrier was arrested on 26 June.

The trial continues.