A JUDGE said a delay in the case of man charged with killing a pensioner through careless driving was a “matter of regret”.

Judge Stephen Ashurst bemoaned the fact that very important material had not been made available by the Crown until the morning of Thomas Keeley’s court hearing.

Keeley, 22, of Levenside, Great Ayton, is charged with causing 80-year-old Sid Sarbutt’s death in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, on November 7 last year.

Mr Sarbutt, who was from the village, was involved in a collision with a BMW near the Buck Inn pub and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The defendant’s barrister David Lamb had asked that the charge not be put and explained that the defence had been waiting certain documents, including a police collision report and photographs from the accident scene.

Mr Lamb said the crux of the case was the speed that Keeley had been going at the point of impact.

Judge Ashurst, sitting at Teesside Crown Court, explained the delay to the defendant and agreed to adjourn the case until October 13.

Keeley was bailed in the meantime.