A court has heard allegations that a 19-year-old mother was deliberately struck and fatally injured by her older boyfriend, who prosecutors claim used his recovery truck as a weapon during an argument on a street in the West Midlands.
Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court were told that Lily Whitehouse suffered catastrophic injuries after being hit by a Mercedes Sprinter truck driven by Mohammed Azim, 41, on November 5 last year.
Prosecutors allege the incident occurred after tensions escalated between the couple while he was driving her home.
Azim denies the charge of murder.
Young Mother Had Recently Given Birth
The court heard that Whitehouse, described as being 5ft 3in tall and weighing less than seven and a half stone, had given birth to a daughter just four weeks before her death.
Her baby, born prematurely in September 2025, remained in a neonatal unit at a hospital in Dudley at the time.
On the day of the incident, Whitehouse had visited her daughter before returning to Oldbury, where she lived. Prosecutors say Azim, who worked as a recovery driver, collected her in his truck to take her home.
According to the prosecution, rather than turning onto the road where she lived, Azim continued driving past her destination, leading to an argument between the pair.
CCTV Footage Said to Capture Final Moments
Opening the case, prosecutor Rachel Brand KC told jurors that CCTV footage showed the couple arguing in the street before events turned fatal.
The prosecution alleges that the vehicle remained stationary with its engine running for approximately 16 minutes before Whitehouse was seen moving quickly along the road beside the driver’s side of the truck.
Brand told the court that the footage appeared to show Azim driving in a manner that nudged or pushed Whitehouse along the road.
As she began running, the truck allegedly followed behind her at a slow speed.
According to prosecutors, the pursuit ended with a loud bang captured on CCTV audio.
The prosecution argues that the noise was consistent with the truck colliding with a lamppost after Whitehouse was trapped against it.
Dispute Over How Fatal Injuries Were Sustained
The prosecution has rejected any suggestion that Whitehouse accidentally fell and was then run over.
Brand told jurors that medical evidence indicated the teenager’s injuries were consistent with her being upright when she suffered the fatal trauma.
“We believe that Lily was crushed against a lamppost,” the prosecutor said, suggesting that the truck may have pinned her against the structure.
She further argued that the loud impact heard on CCTV was more consistent with a vehicle striking a solid object than with a truck hitting a person of Whitehouse’s slight build.
Claims of a False Hit-and-Run Story
Following the collision, prosecutors say Azim placed Whitehouse into the cab of the truck and drove away from the immediate scene before contacting emergency services.
The court heard allegations that he then falsely claimed she had been struck by an unknown vehicle involved in a hit-and-run.
Brand argued that moving Whitehouse from the scene was significant because, rather than summoning help directly to where she was injured, he allegedly attempted to separate both himself and the victim from the location where the incident occurred.
Jurors were told that when police arrived, Azim provided a detailed account of witnessing another vehicle strike Whitehouse before fleeing.
Investigators reportedly found the explanation suspicious, particularly because Azim admitted knowing Whitehouse and had personally transported her after the incident.
Emotional 999 Call Played to Jury
The jury also listened to a recording of Azim’s emergency call.
In the call, he could be heard crying and repeatedly stating that Whitehouse had been hit by a car that had driven away. He also expressed the belief that she was already dead.
Emergency call handlers instructed him several times to remove her from the vehicle, place her on the ground, and begin CPR.
However, the court heard that Azim repeatedly declined to perform resuscitation despite the operator’s efforts to guide him through the process.
At one point, the call handler challenged his refusal to help, emphasizing the need to attempt lifesaving measures.
Relationship History Examined in Court
Jurors were told that Whitehouse and Azim had maintained an on-and-off relationship since 2023.
During a period when they were separated, Whitehouse became pregnant by another man.
The prosecution said the couple later resumed their relationship before her death.
The court heard that investigators have sought to establish the circumstances surrounding the couple’s relationship and what occurred during their final journey together.
Murder Charge Contested
After Whitehouse’s death, Azim was arrested on suspicion of murder.
According to the prosecution, he largely exercised his right to remain silent during police interviews and provided little information about how Whitehouse sustained her injuries.
Brand told jurors that the Crown’s case is that Azim intentionally caused fatal injuries by driving the truck at Whitehouse and that anyone who deliberately uses a large vehicle in such a manner must have intended to cause at least serious harm.
The defence is expected to challenge the prosecution’s account, with the possibility that the incident was accidental likely to be explored during the trial.
Azim, appearing in court wearing a navy suit and light blue shirt, is receiving assistance from a Mirpuri interpreter. The trial is expected to continue for approximately two weeks.
