A MAN accused of causing death by dangerous driving during a "race" along a Gwent country lane, told police when arrested that he had taken an overdose because he had "watched his sister die."

PC Alexa Jones of Gwent Police told Newport Crown Court that Aaron Bridgeman, aged 35, formerly of Abertillery, had flagged down the patrol car she was in as it was driven through the town while officers looked for him on the evening after the accident.

PC Jones agreed with defending counsel Jeff Jones that Bridgeman had told her and a second officer in the patrol car: "I have taken 30 paracetamol tablets. I have just watched my sister die."

She added that Bridgeman, who now lives in Lansbury Park, Caerphilly, had looked shaken up.

Bridgeman has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of his stepsister Claire Franklin, aged 40, by dangerous driving on December 23 2013.

The prosecution claims that he was "racing" with a motorbike ridden by Jason Szalkowski, and on which Ms Franklin was a pillion passenger, when the incident happened, northbound on Pandy Lane, between Bedwas and Maesycwmmer, at around 5pm that afternoon.

Mr Szalkowski has been deemed too seriously injured for it to be in the public interest to charge him.

Weather conditions were described as "horrible" by Gwent Police senior collision investigator PC Chris Goddard, who attended the scene in the hour following the incident. He told the court the rain had been torrential, and the region was subject to a weather warning.

He had examined the scene and said just metres before the spot where Mr Szalkowski's bike had gone out of control, a patch of road had been covered with running water which had overflown a stream bank on the opposite side.

He said that 11 metres after the water patch, a gouge mark in the road was traced and indicated the bike had travelled on its side for almost 160 metres. To have done so, its speed at first side impact on the road must have been 63mph.

He also said intermittent blue denim marks parallel to the gouge mark but with a wider spread, indicated where Ms Franklin's body had tumbled after she fell from the bike.

The bonnet of the red Peugeot 306 Mr Bridgeman was driving had what is called a 'cleaning mark' on it - commonly caused when vehicles come into contact with clothes or bodies - and also damage to the headlight cluster.

PC Goddard said the cleaning marks could be explained by a body hitting the car and that the other damage indicated Ms Franklin was tumbling at the time, not lying prone.

"The debris from the car starts later than where the bike hit the ground. The denim marks start further down as well. Debris from the car started 65 metres after the start of the gouge mark," he said.

He did know the speed at which the car had hit Ms Franklin but that when the bike hit the road it (the car) had been in close proximity and travelling at around 60mph.

There was no evidence of direct contact between the car and the bike while the bike was upright.

Earlier, the court had been told by Robert Nash, a farmer from Hengoed who had driven into the scene seconds after the crash, that the car and motorbike overtook him at speed, further back down the lane.

He had thought his 4x4 vehicle had hit a sheep because of the white fleecy hoodie Ms Franklin was wearing.

PC Goddard said there were 'cleaning' marks on the underside of Mr Nash's vehicle, consistent with driving over her prone body.

Bridgeman, who spoke briefly to Mr Nash after the incident, had then left the scene, his car being found later in Maesycwmmer. He was arrested in Abertillery after flagging down the police car at around 9pm that night.

Proceeding.