A DOCTOR has told a jury he was "absolutely devastated" to discover a motorcyclist who had collided with his car had died, but denied he had been racing against him.

Vincent Hamlyn, aged 33, of Sedbury Hill, Tutshill near Chepstow, is on trial accused of causing the death of Kevin Morgan by dangerous driving on June 21 last year. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Morgan, 60, from Cwmbran, died at the scene of the collision with a black convertible BMW Z4, driven by anaesthetist Hamlyn, on the A449 outside Newport, just off the Coldra roundabout. He had been riding his white Kawasaki motorbike at the time.

Giving evidence from the witness box at Cardiff Crown Court earlier today, Hamlyn repeatedly denied he had been racing Mr Morgan.

He told the jury he was on his way to meet some friends in Monmouth for lunch at the time of the incident, and was not in a hurry.

Hamlyn said he had been saving up to buy the car, which he had owned for around three months at the time, because it was "reliable" and not because it was a sports car.

Recalling his emotions after learning of Mr Morgan's death, Hamlyn said: "I was absolutely devastated. A man had died. I'd done my best over a period, it seemed over a long time, to resuscitate him.

"It was disorientating, upsetting obviously. I'd never been in that kind of situation before."

His defence barrister Michael Mather-Lees QC then asked him: "Were you entering into some tacit racing with this motorcyclist?"

Hamlyn replied: "No, absolutely not."

The jury has previously heard how Hamlyn performed CPR on Mr Morgan until the emergency services arrived.

Under cross-examination from prosecutor Matthew Roberts, Hamlyn said he believed the bike was behind him as he drove towards the national speed limit sign on the A449 and said his "primary concern was traffic to my left".

Mr Roberts said: "You accelarated away to try and prove a point didn't you? [Mr Morgan] was trying to get the better of you wasn't he? And you were trying to get the better of him."

Hamlyn answered "no" on each occasion.

Mr Roberts suggested Hamlyn behaved "out of character", and that his "impeccable driving became dangerous" on that day.

The court also heard from Martin Rood, a former police constable with 30 years' experience, who was behind the motorbike and the BMW at a set of traffic lights moments before the collision.

He told the court the car had "moved off smoothly, quietly".

The jury also heard character references from consultant anaesthetists who said Hamlyn was "extremely consciencous, honest, and reliable".

Mr Morgan suffered major traumatic injuries to his head, pelvis, and chest. The post-mortem carried out by Dr DS James revealed he died of complex skull fractures.

Proceeding.