Man accused of killing best friend claims hit-and-run was ‘banter’

A man accused of murdering his friend in a hit-and-run incident has said he only wanted to “scare” the dad-of-two for “banter”.

Micheal Haigh, 25, admits to being the driver of the Jeep Cherokee which struck Ryan Kennedy and smashed him into a wall in Norris Green, Liverpool.

Haigh claims he hit his “best mate” by accident and has admitted manslaughter, reports the Liverpool Echo.

However prosecutors say he drove into his pal deliberately following a row over a hunting dog, which was overheard by a neighbour.

But Haigh told Liverpool Crown Court it was just “banter” and the two pals were calling each other names “as we always have done”.

He said: “I revved the car to give him a fright. He was laughing. He said ‘come on,’ messing around.

“I put the car into drive, put my foot down on the accelerator and the car just went forward. By the time I pressed the brake the car had slid and hit Ryan through the wall."

Haigh told the jury that he couldn’t explain why he left his friend to die.

The case continues.

Image: Liverpool Police Service