Driver who killed couple walking their dog on icy country lane was ‘speeding at 87mph seconds before crash’

A DRIVER who killed a couple walking a dog in a fatal crash was driving at 87mph down an icy country lane, a court heard.

Thomas and Susan Corkery were walking their friend’s dog when Scott Gunn skidded and smashed into them, killing both of them and the dog.

The country lane was icy after a week of freezing temperaturesCredit: Google/Cover Images The motorist was driving at 87mph five seconds before he hit the coupleCredit: UKNIP/Cover Images

Gunn, 38, was at 87mph down a road with a 60mph limit just seconds before he hit the couple, in a X7 which he had bought seven days prior.

The crash was on Thurnham Lane, Bearsted near Maidstone in on January 20 last year.

Gunn is now on trial at Maidstone Crown for two offences of causing death by dangerous driving, which he denies.

The jury was informed that the defendant admitted to causing the death of the couple by careless driving and a separate charge relating to Gracie, the dog.

Prosecutor, Richard Hillman said that Gunn’s driving “fell far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver”, and was not only dangerous but “obviously” dangerous.

As well as the wintry , there was a sign just over half a mile from the crash site which warned of ice on the roads.

CCTV footage captured other motorists travelling between 20 and 22 mph past a nearby farmyard.

Data from the BMW’s airbag control module revealed that in the five sections leading up to the tragic collision, Gunn had accelerated to 87 mph.

Another dog walker told the that a car had sped past him at “terrific speed” and he had waved his arm at the motorist to warn him about the ice ahead.

Thomas, 61, and Susan, 68, were thrown into the hedge upon impact with the car and the BMW “bounced off” and continued for a short distance before coming to a stop.

The defendant got out of his car and asked an eye-witness for a phone. He was reportedly heard to say he had been “going too fast” and either did not “know” about the ice or did not “see” it.

The couple and Gracie all died at the scene.

Mr Hillman told the jury he was seeking to prove this was “not simply a case of careless driving”.

“We submit, once you have heard the evidence, you will be sure his driving was dangerous and he was driving dangerously,” the lawyer explained.

The jury was told that while it was not possible to know when the warning sign about the ice had been put in place but that Gunn would have driven past it on that “cold, ‘s day”.

Mr Hillman added that the defendant lived about an eight-minute drive from the scene so would have had “some familiarity” with local roads and Thurnham Lane in particular.

Just before their deaths, Mr and Mrs Corkery had been at a local pub having tea or and even been warned about the icy conditions by a neighbouring table.

At 1.40pm, David Scott, another dog owner overtook the couple on foot on Thurnham Lane and noticed a patch of ice approximately 50 yards long.

He then saw the BMW pass, Mr Hillman said: “He described it as driving at terrific speed, flicking up gravel as it headed towards a slight bend in the road.”

Mr Hillman continued that Mr Scott had tried to flag the driver down and warn him about the ice.

“The vehicle passed him, tried to brake and skidded straightaway. The car turned sideways as it tried to make the bend and impacted with the two people on its passenger side, throwing them into the hedge.

“Mr Scott said the vehicle was out of control and collided within two seconds of passing him.”

Another walker told police the BMW was “going the quickest he had ever seen” a vehicle go along the lane and was throwing up grit as it went.

A split second after the BMW passed, he walker heard a bang.

A local resident in a field saw the car coming up the road at an excessive speed, she noted that temperatures had been sub-zero all week.

Several emergency services attended the scene and video footage filmed by police on the same day shows the area covered in slush and ice.

One officer added that the ice was “clear to see” and when he reduced his speed, he had no difficulty controlling his car.

When asked at the scene how fast he had been going, Gunn said “I don’t know. I was probably over the limit. Not by much.

“I was slowing down as I came to the bend. I didn’t see the ice until the last second,” as captured on body cam footage.

There was another passenger in the BMW who said he was looking at his phone and didn’t know how fast they were going.

Gunn, of Grove Road, was interviewed by officers a month later and answered “no comment” to the questions.

He gave a prepared statement that expressed condolences to the victim’s loved ones, and he said he had been “left in shock” by the incident.

The trial continues.

The couple and the dog they were waking were all killed at the sceneCredit: UKNIP/Cover Images The trial began on Monday at Maidstone Crown CourtCredit: Sean McPolin/Cover Images