Nigel Malt denies murder of daughter Lauren Malt claiming 'it was an accident' as West Winch murder trial continues

The Lynn man accused of murdering his daughter by driving over her twice says it was an accident.

Nigel Malt told police in interview that he thought it was a wheelie bin which he hit, Norwich Crown Court heard on Thursday afternoon.

After the prosecution outlined its case – that Malt deliberately drove over 19-year-old Lauren -defence counsel Allison Summers gave the jury an indication of what the defence would be.

She said there would be no argument that Malt, 44, had been drinking, that he took a crowbar out of his car to threaten Lauren’s boyfriend Arthur Marnell and that his conduct was “deeply

unattractive”.

She said: “You won’t hear any excuse put forward about that on his behalf.” But Miss Summers told the jury that in order to convict her client of murder, members had to be sure that he had seen his daughter in Leete Way, West Winch, before knocking her down and driving over her twice – once in reverse and then going forwards.

She added: “If there is one question to keep in mind as you consider the evidence over the course of the next few days that gets to the core issue in this case, it is this.

“Did that man actually see his daughter at or near to the back of his car?”

The barrister said Malt had been reversing to carry on his argument with Lauren’s boyfriend and his anger had prevented him from “making the proper checks that no one was behind him”.

“The defence in this case is that it was an accident,” she added.Malt, of Lynn Road, denies murder. The trial continues.