A MAN who denies causing the death of his stepsister by dangerous driving wept as he told Newport Crown Court he had not been racing a motorcyclist friend along a Gwent lane in the moments before she died.

Under cross-examination by prosecuting counsel Ieuan Bennett, 35-year-old Aaron Bridgeman denied racing Jason Szalkowski - who had Claire Franklin as his pillion passenger - along Pandy Lane, between Bedwas and Maesycwmmer, in the dark, and in heavy rain, late on the afternoon of December 23 2013.

Bridgeman, who had a house in Abertillery at the time, but was living with his parents in Maxton Court, Lansbury Park, Caerphilly, said he had planned to visit his girlfriend, who also lived in Abertillery, that Monday, and Mr Szalkowski intended to go with him on his motorbike with his (Bridgeman's) stepsister Claire Franklin, riding pillion.

Bridgeman told the court he had not been happy with that idea due to the weather and had tried to dissuade his friend.

He denied Mr Bennett's suggestion that he knew Mr Szalkowski "used to drive quickly and dangerously, even before this incident."

Mr Bennett also asked Bridgeman if it was right that "you and Jason decided to go together driving in Pandy Lanes because you had planned to drive quickly and race him, and chase each other up to Abertillery?"

Bridgeman denied that, but said he had decided to use the Pandy Lane route because he did not have a licence and the route was quieter with less chance of a police presence.

He admitted to never having had a full driving licence or having taken a test, but had driven for many years, including most recently his father's red Peugeot, which he was driving when the incident happened.

Of that, he said that at the start of Pandy Lane he had driven at a distance of around 10 car lengths behind a 4x4 driven by Robert Nash.

He denied Mr Bennett's suggestion that he had been tailgating Mr Nash on a single track section of the lane, but said he had decided to overtake when the lane widened, as water from Mr Nash's vehicle had been obscuring his view.

He also denied having known Mr Szalkowksi's motorbike had been behind him on Pandy Lane, saying the first thing he knew of its presence was when it sped past him noisily as he began to move back over, having overtaken Mr Nash.

Earlier, Bridgeman had told defence counsel Jeff Jones that after the bike had overtaken him, there was "like a big slap of water on the windscreen."

When that cleared, he said, "I saw my sister on the floor. It all happened so quickly. That is all I can picture. I am sure I missed (hitting) her."

Bridgeman said he swerved onto the opposite verge to avoid hitting his sister's body. He later left the scene, he told the court, because "my head had gone" after running back up the road to find his sister lying motionless, and he knew he had no licence.

But he asserted that the motorbike crashing "had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with my driving."

Proceeding.