A POLICE accident investigator today told a jury that the driving of a car, which crashed into a church wall killing a 15-year-old passenger, had been dangerous and inappropriate.

Saliq Malik died from head and neck injuries more than five hours after the accident, which happened in Gilpin Street, Barkerend, Bradford, at 11am on September 12, 2014.

Syam Khan, 19, of Kimberley Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford, has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He denies being the driver.

PC Martin Ward, who was involved in investigating the crash, said the Volkswagen Golf could have been travelling up to 60mph when the driver lost control and between 20mph and 30mph when it hit the wall.

He said the car had rotated sideways in a clockwise direction across Gilpin Street.

PC Ward said the collision was down to excessive speed which was completely inappropriate for the location, on a residential street with a 30mph limit.

PC Ward told the court that the driver could have lost control on a left hand bend, though it was more likely that he had reacted to a car approaching, or emerging from a side street, the driver of which had never been traced.

But the officer said someone driving normally would have been able to deal with that and the excessive speed had been dangerous.

Witness Safi Ullah told the court he saw a man get out from the driver's seat after the accident.

The man then walked about, talking on his phone, before getting into the front seat of a Volkswagen Jetta, which had pulled up, and being driven away. Mr Ullah said there were three people in the car.

Khan's barrister, Andrew Dallas, told Mr Ullah his client would say he was never on the phone and had lost it in the crash.

But the witness insisted: "I saw him with a phone in his hand."

The prosecution alleges Khan was the driver and another car was summonsed to the scene to take him away. It is alleged he then conspired with the others to cover up his identity.

He also denies a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, to back seat passenger Haris Khan, who suffered a fractured pelvis and elbow in the crash.

Khan also pleads not guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

That charge is also denied by Nadeem Hussain, 29, and Yasser Hussain, 28, both of Gladstone Street, Bradford Moor, and Waqas Iqbal, 21, of Florence Street, Laisterdyke.

Haji Rehman, 35, also of Kimberley Street, was yesterday found not guilty of the conspiracy charge, on the direction of Judge Jonathan Rose, after the prosecution offered no evidence.

The court heard that in police interviews, Khan said he had gone for a "joyride" in the car, after getting a call from Haris Khan and that he had been a back seat passenger.

He said he did not know the driver.

He said he was talking to his friend when there was a big bang.

"As soon as I opened my eyes, there was no driver," he told officers during interview.

The trial continues.