Derbyshire murder trial: Accused's son made 999 call telling police he was 'hiding' from Chesterfield man who was later hit by car

Andrew Thorpe died days after he was struck by a car being driven by pensioner John Hodgkiss, on Rotherham Road, Clowne, around the corner from his home in Barlborough Road in the early hours of July 26, 2019.

Hodgkiss, 68, denies both murder and the alternative charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

He drove his car, the prosecution claim, at Mr Thorpe following an altercation where the 32-year-old, and his brother Nicholas, had chased his son, Shane Hodgkiss, while they were returning a trailer, following a family barbecue.

The court had previously heard that problems had been brewing up for around six weeks between the two families, after the relationship stalled between Shane Hodgkiss, and Mr Thorpe’s younger sister Amy.

Matters came to ahead when Mr Thorpe bought the trailer from his younger sister a few weeks earlier, and she wanted it back so she and Shane Hodgkiss could go on holiday.

The court heard that Shane Hodgkiss had intimidated the family in the weeks before the tragedy, pulling wheel-spins in his red Mini outside various family members’ homes and had sent Mr Thorpe a series of text messages.

Moments before his death, the Thorpe brothers had chased Shane Hodgkiss, who had escaped by jumping over a fence, the court heard.

This morning, detectives described the sequence of events leading up to the collision, and the jury heard a sound recording of a 999 call from Shane Hodgkiss, saying that he was “hiding”.

The trial continues.

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