HE VOMITED IN THE UBER — THEN THE DRIVER ALLEGEDLY RAN HIM OVER TWICE

What began as an ordinary Uber ride home after dinner and drinks allegedly turned into a horrifying confrontation that left a 28-year-old man dead.

Hayadulla Turkmani, 53, is currently on trial in the U.K. for the alleged murder of passenger Michael Ashton, who died after prosecutors say the Uber driver deliberately drove into him following an argument over Ashton vomiting inside the vehicle. Turkmani has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

The incident happened late at night on September 26, 2025, after Ashton and his partner, Sophie Caroll, had been out for dinner in east London and ordered an Uber to take them home.

According to Caroll’s testimony at Basildon Crown Court, everything changed when Ashton became sick inside Turkmani’s car.

Caroll said she tried to clean up the mess with baby wipes while Ashton and the driver argued. She described Turkmani as angry and said the confrontation became increasingly heated.

Eventually, the couple began walking away.

For a moment, Caroll said, it appeared the situation was calming down.

Then Turkmani allegedly drove toward Ashton.

Caroll told the court that the driver said something that caused Ashton to turn around. Moments later, she said, the vehicle came toward him at what another witness described as an “incredible speed.”

But prosecutors allege the most disturbing part came next.

A neighbor, Ray Green, told the court that he saw the vehicle hit Ashton before the driver reversed approximately a car’s length and then accelerated forward again, striking him a second time.

Green said he could hear what sounded like Ashton being dragged along the ground.

Caroll recalled being hysterical and immediately calling for an ambulance.

Ashton suffered catastrophic injuries and ultimately died eight days later, according to testimony reported from the trial. His loved ones remembered him as a kind person with an infectious smile, describing him as someone whose presence could light up a room.

Now, more than a year after the alleged incident, Turkmani is sitting in court accused of turning a dispute over a few minutes of chaos into a fatal act of violence.

The defense has pleaded not guilty, meaning the prosecution must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

And the central question for the jury is chilling:

Was this a tragic escalation of an argument — or did the driver intentionally use his car as a weapon after losing his temper?

What exactly happened in the moments before Michael Ashton was struck — and what did witnesses tell the court about the driver’s actions afterward?

Read the full story for the latest details from the courtroom.

Source: PEOPLE — Full Story