Footballer due in court on death crash charges

West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes was due in court today charged with causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.

The 27-year-old Division One player is appearing before magistrates in Coventry following a car crash near Meriden, West Midlands, in which a 56-year-old man died.

Hughes, a married father-of-one who lives in Meriden, was arrested on Monday and charged yesterday following the tragedy in the early hours of Sunday.

He was released on police bail after spending Monday night and most of yesterday at Coventry’s Little Park Street police station being interviewed by detectives.

The collision allegedly involved Hughes’s silver Mercedes CL55 coupe and a Renault Megane.

Douglas Graham, of Eastern Green, Coventry, was a back seat passenger in the Renault and died instantly.

His wife, also a passenger, suffered a broken leg, while two other men - including the driver, were also injured.