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A man jointly accused of robbery and killing a delivery worker has told how he felt like a ‘headless chicken’ when he learned that the man whose death triggered a police probe had needed CPR.

Jake Lakin, Callum Rutherford and Arron Hartigan have pleaded not guilty during a Sheffield Crown Court trial to the manslaughter of 40-year-old Nadeem Qureshi, who died after he was fatally-injured on wasteland off Station Road, Deepcar, on July 24, 2019.

They have also denied conspiring to commit a robbery and to having an imitation firearm with intent to commit a robbery.

Nicholas Campbell KC, prosecuting, told jurors that three men inside a delivery van had allegedly travelled to Sheffield to deliver nitrous oxide canisters and were then allegedly targeted by the accused in an alleged robbery.

Pictured is deceased Nadeem Qureshi, who died aged 40, after he was seriously injured on wasteland off Station Road, at Deepcar, near Stocksbridge, in Sheffield, on July 24, 2019, and later died on the same day.

Van passenger Mr Qureshi died after he was run over by the reversing delivery van as he tried to get out of the vehicle during the alleged hold-up, according to Mr Campbell.

Mr Campbell said Mr Rutherford had arranged for the delivery van to go down a track off Station Road, where it was then allegedly blocked in by a 4x4 Pejaro jeep driven by Mr Hartigan, with passenger Mr Lakin allegedly holding a ‘gun’.

Jake Lakin told the jury on January 23 he and Arron Hartigan had been off-roading and only helping Mr Rutherford to receive a delivery when an unknown van came towards them really fast, revving its engine with its wheels spinning.

Mr Lakin said: “I did not know if it was stuck or if they were trying to go forwards and backwards but as soon as we pulled up it was red-lining and then the van tried to move forward a bit and then decided to reverse backwards.”

Pictured is Callum Rutherford, aged 26, of Lee Avenue, at Deepcar, Sheffield, who has denied manslaughter and has also pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit a robbery and to having an imitation firearm with intent to commit a robbery.

He added the van had looked like it was going to ram Mr Hartigan’s jeep, so Mr Lakin said he had jumped out and injured his right leg and then got into Callum Rutherford’s vehicle.

Mr Lakin said: “It was all very bizarre. It all happened very quickly. I jumped in the car and I said, ‘can you go after Arron?’.”

Mr Lakin said he thought Arron Hartigan had pursued the van because he had been upset about his jeep.

He added that someone later called Mr Hartigan and told him that somebody had been administering CPR to a casualty near Station Road.

Pictured is Arron Hartigan, aged 26, of Stocksbridge, Sheffield, who has denied manslaughter and has also pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit a robbery and to having an imitation firearm with intent to commit a robbery.

When defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC asked Mr Lakin how he had reacted to this news, Mr Lakin said: “To be honest, like a headless chicken. Earlier that week I had very bad news. Our friend had been stabbed and then this on top of it.”

He added: “I do not know what I was thinking to be honest. I was very scared. I was 18-years-old. I did not want to be brought into any of this. I still don’t want to be here.

“We had been going off-roading. Nothing violent. Nothing of the sort like that. We were off-roading like we were every weekend.”

Mr Lakin said: “The van had gone off in a very weird manner with none of us knowing what had happened or why the van had gone off like that. So initially, we thought the worst. Is this something to do with us?”

He added that he had no idea anybody had been left injured at the scene and only realised somebody had been seriously hurt when information was placed on social media.

When Mr Hussain asked Mr Lakin why he had not been completely honest with the police following his arrest, he said: “Because I was 18-years-old and they arrested me on a murder charge. They did not tell us how he died. We had to get our own post mortem. They did not give us anything other than, ‘you are arrested for murder’. I was 18-years-old. I was very scared. I did not know what to do in my head.”

Mr Lakin stressed the delivery was ‘not his deal’ and that he and Arron Hartigan had only been there to offer support to Mr Rutherford.

He told the public gallery: “I really send my condolences to you guys. I‘m sorry for what has happened. I am very sorry. I send my condolences. It’s a very horrible thing that has happened. I would not wish it on anybody.”

Mr Lakin told the jury he did not have a gun, a firearm had not been involved and there had not been any agreement to rob the delivery van.

He said: “There was nothing of the sort like that. I would not have been any part of that.”

Callum Rutherford previously told the court he had only been at the location in his VW Tiguan with another passenger to receive the delivery for a payment of about £3,400 and that Mr Hartigan and Mr Lakin were there to help.

He claimed he just wanted the deal to go ahead and they had not wanted to rob or hurt anyone.

Mr Campbell said that a businessman had arranged for the goods to be delivered after there had been difficulties with a previous cancelled arrangement days before, involving two deliverymen who had become suspicious about the instructions they had received.

The court heard nitrous oxide is used in catering to carbonate drinks or to whip cream and it can be used as a drug and is also known as ‘laughing gas’.

Mr Lakin, aged 22, of Smithy Moor Avenue, at Stocksbridge, Sheffield, Mr Rutherford, aged 26, of Lee Avenue, at Deepcar, Sheffield, and Mr Hartigan, aged 26, of Stocksbridge, Sheffield, deny all charges against them.

The trial continues.

Sheffield man accused of manslaughter and robbery charges denies wrongdoing