Suspected Sheffield robber accused of killing delivery man claims he was 'baffled' by what happened

Sheffield Crown Court has heard during an on-going trial how Callum Rutherford, Jake Lakin and Arron Hartigan have all pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of 40-year-old Nadeem Qureshi who died after he was seriously injured on wasteland off Station Road, at Deepcar, near Stocksbridge, in Sheffield, on July 24, 2019.

Nicholas Campbell KC, prosecuting, told the jury a delivery van with a driver and two passengers including Mr Qureshi and a delivery of nitrous oxide canisters had allegedly been called to a drop-off location and targeted by the accused during a suspected robbery and Mr Qureshi was killed after he was run over by the reversing van as he tried to get out.

Mr Campbell said Mr Rutherford had requested the nitrous oxide canisters under a false name and the delivery men were directed down a track off Station Road, where their van was allegedly targeted and the delivery men were allegedly blocked in by a 4x4 Pejaro driven by Mr Hartigan with passenger Mr Lakin allegedly holding a ‘gun’.

Callum Rutherford told the court he had only been at the location in his VW Tiguan with another passenger to receive the delivery for a payment of about £3,400 and that Mr Hartigan and Mr Lakin were there to help him.

Mr Rutherford, who works with an e-cig shop, said: “I sat waiting at this point expecting someone to approach me with the delivery. A few seconds go by. I thought it was minutes. Then the white van shoots straight past me and back out where this vehicle had just come from.”

He added: “It shoots straight past me through the opening that this comes through straight on Station Road and was shortly followed by the Pejaro.”

Mr Rutherford said after the van fled Mr Lakin got in the back of his VW Tiguan.

He added: “Jake was as shook up as anyone and no one knew what was happening. He said, ‘follow Arron, follow Arron. I think there is a man down’. I cannot remember exactly word for word. At that moment I did not have a clue. I followed to proceed after Arron.”

Mr Rutherford said: “I was behind Arron. Arron was behind the van. I would not class it as a chase. It was a following. A chase sounds nasty. It was not like that.”

The delivery van was followed by Arron Hartigan in the 4x4 Pejaro and Mr Rutherford in his VW Tiguan, according to Mr Campbell, towards Sheffield before the defendants gave up and those in the van reported the incident to police.

Mr Rutherford added that later Jake Lakin returned to Arron Hartigan’s vehicle and Mr Rutherford said he had been left ‘baffled’ and ‘confused’ as he parked up outside his home and he later learned someone at the drop-off scene had needed CPR.

Mr Rutherford claimed the deal with the delivery men was ‘dodgy’ because he was planning to do things with the delivery that he should not and that he was more likely to have been ripped off if he had been on his own.

He also claimed they were not wanting to rob anyone, that he had not want to hurt anyone and he did not want anyone he was with to hurt anyone, but he just wanted the deal to go ahead and did not want to be ripped off.

Mr Campbell, prosecuting, said there had been difficulties with a previous cancelled delivery between Rutherford and the same company, Unicorn Foods, of Bolton, days before involving two deliverymen who had become suspicious about the instructions they had received.

Mr Rutherford also told the court he had an arrangement with another businessman whereby he could use his details and he had used the same location before to receive orders.

Mr Lakin and Mr Hartigan had claimed they had been ‘off-roading’ at the location, according to Mr Campbell, and Mr Rutherford also told the court the two men had been planning to go ‘off-roading’.

Mr Campbell explained that nitrous oxide canisters are used in catering to carbonate drinks or to whip cream and it is also known as ‘laughing gas’ and it can be used as a drug.

Mr Rutherford, aged 26, of Lee Avenue, at Deepcar, Sheffield, Mr Lakin, aged 22, of Smithy Moor Avenue, at Stocksbridge, Sheffield, and Mr Hartigan, aged 25, of Stocksbridge, Sheffield, have all denied manslaughter and have also all pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit a robbery and to having an imitation firearm with intent to commit a robbery.

The trial continues.