A SWANSEA man who drove away from the scene of a fatal collision blamed his decision on panic — but denied this was because he caused the crash.

Michael Paul Davies was not interviewed by the police until three months after the incident in which city taxi driver Martin Griffiths was killed on Fabian Way, jurors heard.

Details of those interviews were revealed at Swansea Crown Court, where Davies and Neath man Nathan Edward Hunt deny causing death by dangerous driving.

The prosecution has alleged that Davies, aged 21, of Heol y Fran, Morriston, and Hunt, aged 23, of The Meadows, Cimla, were racing each other at 90mph along the eastbound carriageway of the A483 just before midnight on February 7 last year.

Cabbie Mr Griffiths was travelling in the opposite direction when Hunt's Peugeot 106 hit the central reservation and became airborne.

Both defendants deny racing.

The court has heard that Davies drove away from the scene of the collision, and was not interviewed by the police until May 21.

In interviews read out on day four of the case, Davies said that on the night in question he was at the wheel of his Citroen Saxo after a visit to Mumbles.

He had never met Hunt and was "not aware" of the Peugeot until he was near the new roundabout close to Amazon.

Davies told the police that after passing the Shell filling station he was travelling at 65mph in the inside lane when suddenly the Peugeot sped past him in the outside lane.

"I did not undertake him — he was behind me, overtaking me," he said.

But, according to Davies, the Peugeot then sharply cut into the inside lane for a couple of seconds before going out of control and hitting the central reservation.

"The back end of the Peugeot wasn't looking safe on the road," said Davies.

"At first I thought he was messing about — then he ended up colliding with the central reservation."

Davies believed he was "three to four car lengths" behind the Peugeot when the crash happened.

But instead of stopping, he drove onto the M4 before turning at Port Talbot and heading back along the westbound carriageway of the motorway.

From the motorway he could see the blue lights of emergency service vehicles on Fabian Way — but he decided not to go back to the scene because he thought he would be "in the way".

Asked why he had not stopped after witnessing the crash, Davies said in his police interviews: "I don't know. I panicked. I freaked out. But I did not panic because I caused the accident. I felt as if I wasn't involved in it."

The case continues.

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