A driver has been found guilty of murdering a man by running him over and dragging him beneath his car in Accrington town centre.
Muhammad Haarith, 23, of Exchange Street, Accrington, was convicted of murdering 44-year-old Matthew Weller following a trial at Preston Crown Court.
The jury returned its majority verdict on the fifth day of trial after deliberating for close to four-and-a-half hours.
Haarith had already admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he never intended to kill Mr Weller or cause him serious harm.
However, prosecutors said he deliberately drove at Mr Weller in anger before continuing as the victim was dragged beneath his Volkswagen Passat.
Mr Weller suffered catastrophic injuries near the junction of Blackburn Road and Birch Street on the evening of April 22.
He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital but died in the early hours of the following day.
The trial heard Mr Weller had been walking around the town centre before approaching Haarith’s car.
The case so far:
- Day 1 live blog - Muhammad Haarith trial - live updates from day one in court
- Day 1 summary - Muhammad Haarith trial - man 'deliberately ran over' in town
- Day 2 live blog - Muhammad Haarith trial - prosecution evidence on day 2
- Day 2 summary - Muhammad Haarith trial - jury shown CCTV of collision
- Day 3 live blog - Muhammad Haarith trial - accused gives evidence in court
- Day 3 summary - Muhammad Haarith trial - accused admits anger towards man
- Day 4 live blog - Trial over alleged murder of Matthew Weller - day 4 updates
- Day 4 summary - Muhammad Haarith trial - 'anger exploded' before fatal collision
He pulled down his trousers and rubbed his buttocks on its bonnet before Haarith drove forward.
Haarith told jurors he only intended to frighten Mr Weller into moving away and thought he had fallen clear of the vehicle.
He said he panicked after feeling the car rise and did not stop because he feared it could still be on top of Mr Weller.
But the prosecution argued Haarith deliberately turned towards him before allowing the front and rear wheels to pass over his body.
The court heard Haarith accepted he had become angry during the encounter.
Jurors were also shown Snapchat videos from an incident three weeks earlier in which violence was directed towards Mr Weller by another man, though Haarith was present.
Haarith admitted encouraging the violence and said he had viewed the confrontation as entertainment at the time.
Following the fatal collision, Haarith dropped off his passengers, abandoned the Passat away from his home and destroyed his mobile phone.
He travelled to a takeaway in Blackburn before handing himself in to police the following evening.
Prosecutor Tim Evans told the jury Haarith’s “anger exploded” after Mr Weller treated him disrespectfully in front of his friends.
Defence barrister Christopher Moran argued there was no “smoking gun” proving Haarith intended to kill or cause really serious harm during an incident lasting only seconds.
After the verdict was returned, there was a gasp from the public gallery.
Haarith was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday (October 19).
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