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Court tears of Jack car's driver Court tears of death car's driver
(about 1 hour later)
The driver of the car which knocked down and killed 10-year-old Jack Anderson in Edinburgh has broken down in tears at his murder trial.The driver of the car which knocked down and killed 10-year-old Jack Anderson in Edinburgh has broken down in tears at his murder trial.
Isaac Purcell, 26, who denies murdering the schoolboy last October, said he did not see Jack on the pedestrian crossing as he was overtaking a car. Isaac Purcell, 26, who has denied murdering Jack last October, said he did not see him on a pedestrian crossing as he was overtaking a car.
He told the High Court in Glasgow he had deliberately jumped red lights to escape a police car. He told the ongoing High Court trial that he deliberately jumped red lights to escape a police car.
He said he failed to stop because he was scared and "just panicked". The accused said he failed to stop because he was scared and "panicked".
Mr Purcell said: "I was just thinking of the police. I just heard a bang when I went through the lights."Mr Purcell said: "I was just thinking of the police. I just heard a bang when I went through the lights."
Mr Purcell has admitted driving the car which hit Jack on Saughton Road North in Edinburgh on 5 October 2006, but denies all the charges against him. Now we are getting to the nub of the matter, the fact that a police car was behind you was more important to you than the little kids and parents Alex Prentice QCAdvocate depute
Alex Prentice QC said: "The fact the police car was behind you was more important to you than children coming out of a nearby school." Mr Purcell has admitted driving the car which hit Jack on Saughton Road North in Edinburgh on 5 October, 2006 but has denied all the charges against him.
Mr Purcell said "No sir, I care about children." The accused said that five months after Jack's death he wrote a letter to the schoolboy's parents confessing that he was the driver of the car.
In evidence at the High Court in Glasgow he said: "I couldn't stick it. I knew I'd killed a child."
Mr Purcell said that the reply he received from Jack's parents, Michael and Yvonne, convinced him to hand himself in to the police and he did so in March this year after going to see his children.
However, when asked by defence counsel Bert Kerrigan QC if he intended to harm anyone, he said: "I didn't intend to cause anyone any harm."
Mr Purcell has admitted causing Jack's death by driving dangerously at 40mph but this plea has not been accepted by the Crown.
The accused was challenged about failing to see Jack
He claimed he was speeding at 40 to 45mph because the police were chasing him and he was in a panic.
Asked by Mr Kerrigan if he had seen anyone on the crossing, Mr Purcell said: "No."
Mr Kerrigan then asked him: "Having seen there was a red light did you not appreciate that there would be someone intending to cross?"
The accused again replied: "No."
Mr Purcell told the court that as he drove through the crossing, down the middle of cars queuing at the lights, "there was a bang".
He said: "I knew something hit the windscreen."
When asked what he thought it was he said he did not know and kept on driving.
He dismissed as "absolute nonsense" an eyewitness's claim that he and his front seat passenger had been smiling as they drove through the crossing.
'Caring driver'
Under cross-examination by advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, Mr Purcell denied racing and not caring who was there.
Mr Prentice said: "A caring driver would have slowed down at a school, but you didn't. You didn't notice a school, but you should have."
Mr Purcell said: "I suppose so. I wasn't looking for signs because there was a police car behind me."
Mr Prentice told Mr Purcell: "Now we are getting to the nub of the matter, the fact that a police car was behind you was more important to you than the little kids and parents.
"You cared only about yourself getting away and didn't care about the children."
Mr Purcell said: "Of course I cared about children, but I did drive dangerously."
The trial continues.The trial continues.