STEPHEN McHugh, the man accused of murdering Rebecca Steer, says he only meant to ‘scare’ people when he mounted the kerb and killed her last October. 

The 28-year-old denies murdering the 22-year-old and causing Kyle Roberts grievous bodily harm but has leaded guilty to manslaughter and actual bodily harm, respectively.  

However, his pleas were not accepted at Stafford Crown Court.

Today (Tuesday, April 25), he finally came to the stand to give evidence on day five of his trial.  

He told the court that he was ‘shocked’ to discover that he killed Miss Steer in an incident where he mounted the kerb to ‘scare’ a group of people that he says had exchanged verbal abuse with him outside Grill Out in Willow Street in Oswestry. 

“I accept responsibility for what I’ve done but it’s not murder,” he told Paul Hynes KC, his defending barrister.   

“I love the people in Oswestry and I’ve lived there for years without getting into any trouble.” 

OTHER NEWS:

After the case for the prosecution ended this morning, McHugh was brought to the stand to give evidence.  

He told the court he had moved to the town in 2018 after meeting his partner in Chester and had lived in Park Hall ever since. 

McHugh, from Fazakerley in Liverpool, confirmed to the court that did not have a driver’s licence and had not had lessons. Despite this he owned a grey Volkswagen Passat before swapping it for the Volvo that the prosecution has previously said he ‘used as a weapon’.

He told Mr Hynes KC that he intended to use the vehicle to take his children to school but as he had no licence, his partner blocked that, meaning he kept it for everyday use.  

But he described his use of a car without a licence as ‘irresponsible’. 

In examination, McHugh told the court that he had spent most of the Saturday before the incident with Alex Coulson and others watching football and then drinking in the Black Lion and Unicorn pubs in Oswestry.

Under questioning from his own barrister, McHugh confirmed he consumed around six bottles or cans of lager, 10 large shots of spirits and around two grams of cocaine, and spent time in Weston Rhyn and Oswestry. 

Want to stay up to date with all the latest stories from Oswestry and the surrounding area? Click here to sign up for our morning and daily email newsletters and click on the + for the ‘Morning Briefing’ and the 'Daily Catch-Up'.

He also admitted to his barrister that he had kicked a young man in the head during an assault by another in Festival Square, before returning to get his Volvo with the intention of going home.

However, Mr Coulson received a call from another man, Stephen Jones, requesting a lift with his girlfriend, meaning McHugh needed to return to Oswestry. 

He told the court that when he passed Grill Out, he was looking for Mr Jones and heard shouting, and reversed – without looking – to see if it was Mr Jones.  

But McHugh said he was verbally abused ‘and I gave some back’ by people he described as ‘angry with his reversing’.  

McHugh said: “I remember shouting to them ‘do you think I’m arsed about yous?’” 

He added: "That’s why I got to the kerb and tried to scare them." He continued that he did not think anything would happen.  

He also denied being angry with the group, describing himself as a ‘happy drunk’ who is ‘not an angry person’.  

McHugh added that he was not aware of someone underneath the car until he tried to drive away, thinking it was broken, but he added: "I heard a sound I won’t ever forget and I knew someone was under there."

“Every single day I wake up and wish that I had just driven away,” he told the court. 

He will be cross-examined on Wednesday at 10.30am.