'Drunk' father who died in car crash 'started pulling at the wheel'

A 'drunk' father who died when a car driven by his wife crashed into a tree after a wedding took his seatbelt off and started pulling at the wheel moments before his death, his daughter has revealed. 

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also in the Audi A8 which ploughed into a tree in Bolton on November 6 2021. 

Her mother, Alicia Fairclough, was behind the wheel when the car crashed and killed her partner, Thomas Benson. 

Ms Fairclough, who suffered serious injuries during the incident, is accused of causing his death by dangerous driving. 

Manchester Crown Court heard how the family had all attended a wedding at Rivington Barn, prior to the fatal incident. 

Jurors heard that Ms Fairclough was driving her partner's Audi A8 at double the 30mph speed limit at the time of the crash on Lever Park Avenue in Horwich, after they left the wedding.

The court heard that in the aftermath of the collision, the girl was assisted by motorist Robert Hayes-Carr, who was driving in the opposite direction of the collision.

Mr Hayes-Carr said that the girl said to him: 'Why did my daddy do that?'

In a video interview played to jurors, the girl was asked why she had said that. 

'Because at the end of the day, he basically put us all in danger,' she said.

The child was also questioned about events on the day of the incident by prosecutor Joe Boyd. 

She said: 'My dad started saying "you drive, I'm drunk'". After a minute or so they [her parents] started arguing.

'Then my dad decided to take it [his seatbelt] off when we were driving.' 

Mr Boyd asked her whether the speed of the car changed. 'I think she changed it after he took his belt off,' she replied.

Asked why, the witness said she was unsure.

She continued: 'My dad pulled the wheel, he kind of like grabbed it. I felt it skidding after he started to pull the wheel. She [her mother] tried to keep the wheel steady to keep on driving, but he just kept on trying to tug it.

'He started trying to tug it and then he pulled it like really hard.' 

Speaking about her mother, she said: 'She couldn't remember much because she hurt her head. She had a brain bleed after.' 

Ms Fairclough, of Fairways, Horwich, has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.