M1 Murder Crash Trial: Driver Has 'No Memory'

A driving examiner accused of murdering his wife by steering off a motorway has told a jury he has no memory of the hours preceding the crash.

Ian Walters claimed the two hours and 40 minutes before his Mitsubishi pick-up veered off the M1 at up to 84mph remain a blank.

The 51-year-old could not think of any "reasonable reason" why the car ploughed into a line of trees.

Mr Walters told Leicester Crown Court he was devastated when he woke up in hospital and heard of his wife Tracy's death.

But prosecutors allege the crash, which took place near Markfield in Leicestershire on 21 March last year, was deliberate.

They say it came after his wife demanded a divorce following a string of arguments.

The couple were returning early from a "make-or-break" week away in Reeth, North Yorkshire, the four-week trial has heard.

Mr Walters, who was badly injured in the crash, was shown CCTV footage of the moments preceding it.

The father-of-two responded: "Up until the point where we started to go to the left, everything seems to be perfectly normal.

"I can't explain how it happened. I have no memory of it and I can't come up with any explanation for it.

"I can't think of a reasonable reason why."

Jurors have heard that Mrs Walters described their marriage as a farce in a text message.

Asked to describe what was in his mind on the day of the crash, Mr Walters told the court: "We were going home to a nice long weekend - a good bright future together."

He added: "Generally it was a happy relationship punctuated with too many incidents of there being problems.

"We were both quite positive about our future."

The court was also told that Mrs Walters complained her husband would make unreasonable sexual demands.

The defendant admitted their "exciting and very adventurous" sex life had declined over time and that his higher sex drive had caused arguments.

The court heard a claim from Mr Walters on Wednesday that he had twice fallen asleep at the wheel prior to 2003.