Boxer Denies Dangerous Driving

The welterweight boxing champion Amir Khan appeared in court yesterday charged with dangerous driving after he allegedly knocked down a pedestrian and broke his leg. The boxer, who is 20, denied the charge at Bolton crown court.

The court heard Khan was driving his BMW 6 series convertible through the center of Bolton at speeds of up to 47mph in a 30mph zone in March 2006.

At a set of traffic lights, he overtook a stationary car "at some speed" and in a right only lane he drove through a junction as pedestrians were crossing the road, the jury was told. Geoffrey Hatton, 55, who was crossing the road, panicked and turned back towards the pavement. He said he heard a "screaming engine" and after he was hit by the car he needed hospital treatment.

Mr Hatton, a furnace technician, had been walking to a pub after finishing his shift. He fought back tears as he told the court he was running back towards the pavement. "I just heard a screaming engine and the next thing I knew I was on the floor, thinking I had lost my leg. I was lying on the floor with my knee against the side step and I couldn't feel my legs. People were coming towards me and throwing coats over me because I was freezing."

Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, said: "It was the cumulative effect of three factors taken together which rendered the defendant's driving dangerous. Speed, overtaking in the wrong lane and driving through a red light."

Khan, from Lostock, near Bolton, declined to answer questions in a police interview. Tests showed his average speed was 34mph peaking at 47mph. He was said to have hit the pedestrian at between 11 and 13mph. The trial continues.