A MAN suffering from depression, who claimed to have driven head-on into an elderly couple’s car to kill himself, walked free from court yesterday.

Darren Storey’s Nissan Almera swerved across the white line into the path of a Renault Megane being driven by pensioner Alan Crozier.

The 82-year-old suffered a broken breastbone, while his 79-year-old wife, Catherine, was left badly bruised.

Storey, 39, of Park Wood Avenue, Bearpark, near Durham City, later told police he could not remember the collision and denied deliberately crashing his car, Durham Crown Court was told.

But days later, a letter emerged in which Storey claimed to have engineered the accident.

Ros Scott Bell, prosecuting, said Storey’s uncle found a letter to his niece, in which Storey suggested he had deliberately driven into the Renault.

Judge Christopher Prince told Storey: “When this case first came before me, a striking feature was that you had written a letter suggesting this had been a deliberate act by you: to create a head-on collision, intending to kill yourself and having no regard to injuries to others.”

The accident happened on the B1283 at 11am on September 17, 2009, as the couple were driving towards Sherburn Village having been shopping at Tesco, in Dragonville, Durham.

“It appeared to Mr Crozier that the Nissan Almera suddenly swerved across the white line and into the path of Mr Crozier’s vehicle,” said Mrs Scott Bell.

Storey had to be cut free and spent three months in hospital, where he was diagnosed as having a significant depressive illness.

He was initially charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but this was reduced after a psychiatrist agreed he had no memory of the incident.

Yesterday, he admitted causing grievous bodily harm, causing actual bodily harm and dangerous driving and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.

Judge Prince also imposed a six-month, electronicallymonitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and a three-year driving ban.

Tony Hawks, mitigating, said: “One good thing that has come out of this is it’s now been realised that he’s got a mental problem and it’s being appropriately treated.”

Mr and Mrs Crozier, who attended court, have now recovered from their injuries.