May 12, 2008

Sila tells of driving through crowd to save himself

Edgeware Road murder trial, Day 13??????????? ?By Anne Clarkson

?I don?t know what was happening. I know I was alive.?

Lipine Sila said he was trying to save himself as he drove at speed through a crowd of partygoers in Edgeware Road last May.

His video interview with the police was today played to the High Court murder trial where he denies killing two school girls and injuring eight more people.

He struggled with English throughout the long interview, and when he was left alone in the police station interview room for a period he hung his head, shook it, and was crying.

He had already been told that one of the people he struck in the roadway had died. Detective Leairne Dow said the 23-year-old factory hand then sighed heavily and put his head in his hands.

He admitted doing the driving and hitting the people, saying there were people on the roof of the car and bouncing off the bonnet, she said.

She asked him where his scratches and blood on his arms had come from and he said, ?From the glass in the car when I hit those people?.

Sila told the police: ?I hears people on roof of the car, started smashing the car, hitting the car. I got out of the car and someone hit me on the head. I wanted the car safe. I wanted to be safe.?

He claimed the car was hit by a four-wheel drive vehicle in Edgeware Road. ?I didn?t get out. I drove off. Hard to drive out. It was like a movie.?

He said he had been trying to save himself. ?Boom, boom, boom on the car. Some people?s on the roof fall down. I no happy about my girlfriend?s car. I feel sorry. I feel sorry all my heart. I feel sorry all my family.?

He said he had not backed up to get away ? where the roadway was clear ? because he was scared and nervous.

?I save myself so other people die. It?s no good thing I do. I don?t know what was happening. I know I was alive.?

When the interviewing officer asked him if he saw people standing on the road, Sila replied: ?Yep, I didn?t even think about them. I just wanted to get away.?

He said: ?I was tooting, tooting my horn trying to make them move. They were bottling the car as I was leaving. I was nervous what they would do to the car.?

Sila is charged with two counts of murder and eight of intentionally wounding or causing grievous bodily harm in the Edgeware Road party tragedy. The trial is now in its fourth week before Justice John Fogarty and a jury.

The crown is expected to close its case on Tuesday morning, and the defence will open in the afternoon.