WITNESSES in a death by dangerous driving trial told a jury they saw a car speeding shortly before a crash which killed a husband and father.

Steve Spear, 64, died of his injuries after a car crash on the A35 Sea Road South in Bridport.

His Mitsubishi pick-up truck was in collision with a silver Mercedes convertible driven by Gary Craven near to the junction of Hollow Way Road on November 13, 2017.

Craven, 32, of Crock Lane in Bridport, pleads not guilty to charges of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury to his three passengers.

At Craven’s trial which continued at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday, Isla Byrne, from Bridport, told jurors she was in the town centre when she saw a car, which she described as ‘black and silver’, speeding through East Street.

She said: “We crossed the pedestrian crossing and after crossing the road I noticed a car driving very fast on the other side of the road past us.

“I remember turning to my friend and being very alarmed and panicking. It clipped the side of the road, where the pedestrian crossing is.”

The jury was shown CCTV footage from the town centre at the time which showed two taxis and a car travelling along the stretch of road. Prosecutor Jane Rowley asked Miss Byrne if the car in the CCTV was the one she and her friend had seen - she replied: “It could have been that car.”

The court also heard from Mr Spear’s friends Garry Lee and Jason Kidd who had been playing snooker with him at Bothenhampton Snooker Club prior to the crash.

The pair left the club before Mr Spear and drove onto the A35.

Mr Lee said: “I became aware of two lights coming down the road at speed. They were heading in the opposite direction, I was going towards the fire station, they were coming towards the Crown Inn roundabout south.” Mr Lee said it was a silver Mercedes, adding: “It was going just way too quickly for the speed limit.”

Derek Spencer, who had been walking his dog along Flood Lane, told the court he heard a ‘heavy crash’ before running to the scene.

He said: “As I was hurrying down Flood Lane someone passed me very closely to my left. It was a young man, about 30 years old. I didn’t see where he went.”

He then said another man passed him, with what ‘appeared to be’ blood on his forehead, after he reached the A35.

The jury also heard a statement from PC Fern Graham who discovered a ‘blood-stained’ light brown jacket dumped inside a split tree along the footpath adjacent to the River Brit, near Bridport Football Club two days after the crash.

The trial continues.