A DRIVER who collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the death of the rider, told a witness at the scene that he was to blame for the accident, a court heard.

Wayne Richard Gascoigne was at the wheel of a BMW 330 car which pulled out to overtake a car in front on the A68 in County Durham and struck the Honda CBR motorbike travelling in the opposite direction.

Durham Crown Court heard that experienced biker Shaun David Neal was thrown from his machine and came to rest face down on the grass verge.

The force of the impact was said to have been such that the 46-year-old ex-serviceman, from Jarrow, South Tyneside, would have been killed instantly.

Robin Turton, prosecuting, told the court: “Although he suffered a number of injuries, he died because his neck was broken in the collision.”

Mr Turton said the wife of the driver in the car Mr Gascoigne was trying to overtake, a nurse, tried to tend to Mr Neal, “but, very quickly realised the reality of the situation.”

Although both ambulance and air ambulance attended, Mr Neal was declared dead at the scene, two miles from Tow Law, at 2.20pm on Saturday September 2, last year.

Mr Gascoigne told police he was travelling home to Wolsingham from a visit to a gym and was not in a hurry.

In interview he said he came to a bend, at about 60-miles per hour, which is the speed limit for the road, and came up close behind two vehicles travelling at about 40-mph.

He told police he checked the road ahead was clear, pulled out, but suddenly saw the motorcycle in front of him and had no time to react, leading to the collision.

Mr Gascoigne said he had pulled back two car lengths to see that the road was clear, before attempting the overtaking manoeuvre.

He denied he had driven either dangerously or carelessly and maintained he had been driving, “competently and normally”.

In a further interview more than two months later, he maintained that story.

The defendant, 25, of Front Street, Wolsingham, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Giving evidence, Geoffrey West, who was driving the Volkswagen Tiguan which Mr Gascoigne tried to overtake, said the “well spoken” defendant approached him at the scene and told him: “I’m totally to blame. It’s my fault.”

In cross-examination, Mr West agreed with defence barrister Peter Sabiston that Mr Gascoigne seemed “distraught” and “close to tears”.

He added: “He was standing beside me and asked my wife how bad it was, and she said: ‘It’s about as bad as it gets’.”

Proceeding.