Accused man returns to site of rail crash

Gary Hart, 37, stood on the parapet of a bridge on the M62 as an express train sped along the East Coast main line below.

Nine months ago, his Land Rover and trailer were hit by a GNER express train after he careered off the motorway and down the embankment onto the line.

Yesterday, the seven women and five men of the jury arrived at the site for a 40-minute inspection of the site.

They had travelled with the judge, Mr Justice Mackay, the defendant, and the defence and prosecution teams, to see for themselves the scene of the disaster, on February 28.

Mr Hart, from Strubby, Lincolnshire, denies ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The victims, who were all men, lost their lives when a GNER train hit Mr Hart's vehicle and derailed before ploughing into a coal train heading in the opposite direction.

Back in court, the jury heard a taped interview Mr Hart made with North Yorkshire Police, on March 19.

In the interview, Mr Hart recalled the moment he heard a bang and careered down the embankment off the M62 and on to the railway line in his Land Rover.

Mr Hart said he believed he had suffered some kind of puncture as his Land Rover left the motorway and went down the embankment.

He said he hung on for "grim death" and braced himself as he prepared for the impact.

In the interview, he also spoke about his conversation with his new girlfriend, Kristeen Panter, the night before the accident.

He told officers: "I was on the phone for about five hours."

Mr Hart said he had not felt "so alive in the past two or three years".

He said: "I was absolutely buzzing. I couldn't sleep, I wasn't tired."

He said he finished the call at about 2.30am and, after having a bath, he got ready for work.

Commenting on his wife, he said he loved her deeply, adding that she was a "great person" whom he would love for the rest of his life.

The trial was adjourned until today.