A JURY has retired to consider the case of a man accused of causing the death of an 11-year-old girl by dangerous driving.

Ruby Cropper died on New Road, Radcliffe in August 2020.

Andrew Cairns admits being responsible for her death by careless driving, but denies the more serious charge of dangerous driving.

The 36-year-old has also admitted failing to stop at the scene of the collision.

He has been on trial at the Hilton Hotel in Deansgate, which is operating as a nightingale court during the pandemic.

Judge Timothy Smith sent the jury out to begin deliberations shortly before midday 

And at around 4pm he sent them home and asked them to return at 10am tomorrow.

Police sergeant Laura Drew, from GMP’s collision investigation unit, said he had been caught on footage eight metres along from the collision going at 38 miles per hour.

She said there were two possibilities – the first being that Cairns travelled at a constant speed going at 38mph with the collision taking place at the speed.

The other, she said, as that he applied heaving braking meaning the point of impact took place at around 44mph.

The road has a 30mph speed limit.

Cairns, the court heard, went to his nearby home and phoned the police to say what happened.

When interviewed that day he said three times he had “slammed on brakes.”

But in the stand he said he had not braked and “must have lied” during his police interview.

Michael Johnson, his defence counsel, suggested to jurors that he might have become “emotionally overwhelmed” about being cross examined about events where he admitted he had caused the death of a young girl as a result of his driving.