A Spalding man told police he did not believe an alleged pursuit was intended to become a car chase after a friend drowned when a vehicle entered a water-filled ditch in Tongue End, a court has heard.
Sean Burlton, 28, was a passenger in a Ford Focus which left the road on Counter Drain Drove on November 24, 2023. The vehicle entered the ditch and Burlton drowned. The evidence was heard at Lincoln Crown Court, where the trial is continuing.
What the court has heard about the alleged pursuit
Prosecutors allege the Focus had tried to ram a Volkswagen Touran driven by Richard McMullon, the former partner of Burlton’s girlfriend, Vanessa Gratton. Jurors heard a 999 call made by McMullon as he was allegedly followed down Counter Drain Drove by the Focus and a Vauxhall Insignia.
The prosecution case is that the Focus entered the water after attempting to cut up McMullon’s car on a left-hand bend further along the road. Sam Johnson, 26, of Johnson Avenue, Spalding, is alleged to have been driving the Insignia, which was also said to have been following the Touran.
The court heard that Sam Clift, 35, of Brownlow Crescent, Pinchbeck; Josh Copnell, 22, of Rose Lane, Pinchbeck; and Scott Biggs, 33, of Spalding Common, Spalding, were passengers in the Insignia.
Bailey Fitzgerald, 29, of Brownlow Crescent, Pinchbeck, was allegedly driving the Focus. Max Prior, 21, of London Road, Spalding, was a passenger in the Focus alongside Burlton.
Evidence from police interviews
During a police interview read to the jury, Biggs said he had tried to discourage Burlton and had told Johnson to fall back when the Insignia was behind McMullon’s Touran.
“It was Sean that wanted to have it out with him (McMullon) not me,” Biggs explained.
Biggs also said: “Then all of a sudden we were in the car behind,” before describing what he told Johnson.
“I told Sam (Johnson) to stop. It wasn’t meant to be a car chase, I don’t think anyone meant it to be a chase.”
He said he was trying to put Burlton off, was unaware of any weapons and had been called boring by other members of the group. Asked why he got into the Insignia, Biggs said he was looking out for his friends.
“I was scared what might happen if someone responsible wasn’t there,” Biggs explained.
He added that he had no specific role and was simply trying to look after the group.
“I didn’t have a role, I was just trying to look out for everyone,” Biggs added.
Dispute and emergency response
The jury heard there had been an ongoing dispute between McMullon and Gratton about custody visits. Prosecutors allege McMullon was followed by the Focus and the Insignia after leaving a contact visit centre in Spalding on the afternoon of November 24, 2023.
Police interviews with Gratton were also read in court. She said she did not know what had happened until Burlton’s father telephoned her to say he had died.
“I didn’t even know it happened until I got a phonecall from his dad to say he had died.”
Gratton told police that Burlton had spent two hours outside her home with friends the previous night after they believed McMullon had visited and knocked on her windows. The court heard McMullon was prevented from contacting Gratton by a non-molestation order. She said she had tried to contact police and follow the correct process.
“I was clueless, knew nothing,” Gratton said.
Emergency services attended the crash scene. Firefighters freed Burlton from the vehicle, but he was not breathing. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he had drowned.
Gratton, Biggs and Burlton’s partner are accused of conspiring with Burlton to cause actual bodily harm to McMullon between November 22 and 25, 2023. The source report identifies Gratton and Biggs as denying the allegation. The trial continues.