A COLLEGE lecturer is accused of causing the death of a woman in a car crash after becoming distracted because he was “fiddling with his radio”.

Iestyn Jones, 54, denies being responsible for the fatal collision on the A4046 Cwm bypass, near Ebbw Vale, in which Shirley Culleton, 65, from Cwmbran, died.

Laurence Jones, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court how she had been a passenger in a car being driven by her husband Michael Culleton.

Their vehicle was involved in a head on collision with Jones who was driving alone in a Hyundai IX35.

Mrs Culleton died in hospital from her injuries the day after the collision which happened at around 1.20pm on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

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Mr Culleton spent several weeks at Abergavenny’s Nevill Hall Hospital after suffering serious injuries, including a broken pelvis, fractured ribs and a laceration to his kidney.

Mr Jones told the jury: “Mr and Mrs Culleton were not the victims of an unavoidable accident.

“Mrs Culleton’s death and Mr Culleton’s serious injuries were caused by the dangerous lack of attention by the defendant whilst driving along that road.

“We say the evidence will point to an undeniable conclusion that he was dangerously distracted from driving safely and failed to steer at all for a period of at least five seconds but continued to accelerate as his car entered and progressed through a gentle bend in that road.

“This, the prosecution will say, caused his vehicle to drift into the opposing lane.”

Mr Jones added: “The defendant was to admit shortly after the collision to him being distracted as he took his eyes off the road and looked and fiddled with his car radio.

“There was nothing Mr Culleton could do to avoid the collision.

“Tragically, he was never to see his wife again after leaving the scene of the collision.”

Jones, of Old Tram Road, Tafarnaubach, Tredegar, has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He also denies causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury to Mr Culleton by dangerous driving.

Matthew Roberts, representing Jones, said his client would be using the defence of non-insane automatism.

His barrister told the jury how that relates to where a person commits an alleged crime in circumstances where their actions are said to be involuntary. 

Mr Roberts added how the court will hear from an expert that Jones, a lecturer at Coleg Gwent, was suffering from severe sleep apnea at the time of the crash.

The trial before Judge Richard Williams is expected to last four days.