THE trial of Ryan Willicombe - accused of murdering a 19-year-old motorcyclist by running him down with a van - has heard shocking testimony from witnesses, who described chaotic scenes immediately after the fatal crash.

Willicombe, 19, from Newbury, stands charged with killing Tilehurst resident Sheldon Lewcock by driving a van into him on August 4, 2022.

The prosecution alleges he drove deliberately into a group of motorcyclists in Pierces Hill, Tilehurst, knocking down Mr Lewcock's half-brother, Kayden Williams, and fatally injuring Mr Lewcock himself.

He died five days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The trial at Reading Crown Court has heard that Willicombe had been feuding with Mr Williams - who survived the crash.

In July 2022 - weeks before the collision - the defendant admitted in a police interview to driving his father's van at Mr Williams in a bid to "scare" him. The same van was ultimately involved in the fatal August crash.

One of the other riders who was with Mr Lewcock at the time of the collision testified that Willicombe and Mr Williams did not 'get on'.

The crash occurred in the middle of the afternoon, and statements from witnesses were read out in court today (April 17). These included a woman who heard an "almighty bang" just after passing the van at Pierces Hill.

The statement said: "At first, I thought it [the van] had actually hit my car, but [it] had not."

She then turned a corner to find Mr Lewcock lying by the roadside, having been thrown from his bike by the force of the crash.

The witness stated: "He had been catapulted 30 to 40 feet."

Another witness described the shock of stumbling across the 19-year-old witness just after he was hit. They said: "He was in a terrible condition. From what I could see, his face was swollen, and the right side of his face was covered in blood.

"He was trying to speak to me, but he could not."

The prosecution suggest that, following the crash, Willicombe did not stop. Instead, he drove to a nearby Co-op, where he abandoned the van.

The vehicle was so heavily damaged that a member of the public stopped to take a photo. This image was sent to the police, and has been shown to the jury at trial.

After leaving the Co-op, the prosecution told the court Willicombe went to his grandfather's home in south Wales.

Police tracked him to the house, where the prosecution say the defendant was found hiding in a cupboard.

The trial continues.