A STOURBRIDGE police driver who knocked down a student on a crossing had received commendations during his career and had previously carried out escort duties for the Royal Family, a court heard.

Pc Vaughan Lowe, a 43-year-old West Midlands Police traffic officer, has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of Chinese student Zhang Xuan Wei by careless driving in April 2012.

The 24-year-old, a student at Birmingham City University, was thrown into the air by the impact of Pc Lowe’s unmarked BMW and he died in hospital the following day, the jury at Warwick Crown Court has heard.

Wei and a friend were heading to the Newtown shopping centre at about 7pm to get a take-away, but after crossing one side of the A34 New Town Row dual carriageway in Birmingham he was hit as he ‘walked or jogged’ onto the pelican crossing to cross the outbound carriageway.

It is alleged that although Lowe, who was responding to an ‘immediate response’ call, had reduced his speed from 62 to 52mph, he was still driving too fast.

Prosecutor Graham Reeds QC said the officer’s driving fell below the standard of a competent and careful driver.

Giving evidence on the seventh day of the trial - Lowe, a police officer since 1990, said he had never previously been involved in an accident, had no points on his licence and had never been subject to the force’s internal disciplinary system.

Having passed his police advanced driving test in 1995, he became a traffic officer in 2000 and later qualified for the Special Escort Group which led to him carrying out escort duties for all members of the Royal Family, except the Queen, and for other prominent people including Tony Blair.

And just six months before the fatal incident Lowe, who has received commendations during his career, had undertaken an advanced police driver’s refresher course.

He said on that day he and his colleague had been deployed to the Aston area at around 5pm because of a suspicious Audi S3 which had failed to stop for other officers.

He told the court: “The area of Handsworth and Aston is high with serious organised gangs, drug dealing and that sort of thing, and involved in armed criminality such as cash in transit. They use small high-powered vehicles such as Audi A3s taken in car key burglary.”

The car was not found, but was spotted again at 7pm – and he said he was responding to that, with the BMW’s blue lights and siren on, as he drove along New Town Row.

As the video recording from the car’s on-board camera was played in slow motion, Lowe pointed out: “That is different to the view I would have because of the situation of the camera. For things to my right the camera has a better view.”

He began in the bus lane because it was clear, and after going through a major junction where the lights were on red his speed was shown to increase to 62mph.

The recording was paused at the point where he could see the pelican crossing, with the lights on red, and his barrister Brian Dean asked: “Did there come a time when you saw a pedestrian emerge from between the middle row of cars?”

Lowe said: “The pedestrian was slightly obscured by the car in the middle lane at the crossing, but I could see his movement from right to left.”

He explained that if he had stayed in the bus lane, the pedestrian might have run to get across it, frozen or run back.

And he added: “Because of the movement of the pedestrian I made the decision to go into the third lane.

“On approaching I have only seen that pedestrian on the crossing. I presumed that person had pressed the button. There is no person at either end of the pedestrian crossing.

“The lights are changing to flashing amber. I am aware they have been on red for a while, and I can’t see any person on the crossing or approaching the crossing.”

As the recording showed the BMW entering the confines of the crossing Lowe said the cars in the middle lane were not moving, which he presumed was because the driver had seen him coming.

Asked if he was still looking towards the crossing as he approached, the officer replied: “Yes, you’re constantly scanning as I move forward. There were no pedestrians.”

Mr Dean asked whether there was anyone at the kerb or near the kerb, or whether he was aware of any movement behind the stanchions in the mouth of the crossing, and he replied: “No.”

Asked when he first became aware of a pedestrian in the vicinity of his vehicle, Lowe said: “When he was directly in front of the vehicle. Directly in front of the bonnet of the vehicle.”

Mr Dean observed: “We’ve heard what happened afterwards. You got out of the car and went to assist Mr Zhang.”

Lowe confirmed: “That is correct, yes.”

The trial continues.