Last updated at 16:15, Sunday, 14 October 2012

A DRUG addict was planning to go home and take heroin when he hit a pedestrian with his motorbike, a court heard.

Michael Moore, 47, is on trial in Preston Crown Court charged with causing death by careless driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs following the collision on Bridgegate Avenue, Barrow.

He faces a separate charge of failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis.

Marjorie Higgins, 64, died eight days after being struck by Mr Moore’s black Yamaha bike on November 13 2010.

Transcripts of Mr Moore’s interviews with police were read out in court, in which he told officers the incident was his “worst nightmare come true”.

In an initial interview, the day after the collision, Mr Moore had asked officers about Mrs Higgins’ condition.

At a later interview, on February 28 2011, Mr Moore was told by officers that Mrs Higgins had been lifted up onto his handlebars as he hit her square on with his bike.

Mr Moore, of Abbotsmead Approach, Barrow, responded: “Oh my God. It was the worst possible thing that could happen.

“All I can tell you is I did my best.”

The court also heard that he told officers he wished he had been travelling faster.

He said: “The ironic thing is that if I had been going faster she would have heard the exhaust – she would have heard me from a mile away.”

PC Diane Bowman told the court there was no evidence of skid marks at the scene.

When asked by Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, whether there was any evidence the defendant had braked or taken other evasive action she replied: “I have no evidence.”

Earlier the jury had been told witnesses described seeing Mr Moore drive into Mrs Higgins “as if she wasn’t there”.

Regarding Mr Moore’s drug habit, in one of the interviews read out he admitted taking 60mg of Diazepam in the police van as he was taken from Furness General Hospital to Barrow police station following the incident.

He insisted he had taken no substances between 7am, when he took a prescribed 30ml dose of methadone, and the collision.

But he later admitted to taking the Diazepam, which he had picked up from his home shortly before the incident, and which he originally planned to take after putting his bike away for the night.

The jury heard Mr Moore told police: “I was saving what heroin I had, so I didn’t have the heroin on me.

“The heroin was still at home to take once the (Diazepam) tablets had started working.”

He said he looked forward to the feeling the combination of drugs gave him, saying: “That’s like a holiday to me.”

The trial continues.

First published at 13:07, Sunday, 14 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk