THE managing director of a hotel hit a guest, who was there for her daughter’s wedding, in his car, drove over her and only stopped 20 metres later because of a sound under the vehicle, a court heard.

Nicholas Bannister, 64, of Bell Busk, north-west of Skipton, is on trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of causing the death of 66-year-old Baildon grandmother Judith Wadsworth by careless driving.

The 64-year-old denies the offence.

The first day of the trial began today, with a jury of 12 sworn in and the prosecution presenting its opening.

Michael Smith KC, for the prosecution, told the jury that on February 7, 2020 Mrs Wadsworth was at the Coniston Hotel and Spa, at Coniston Cold, for her daughter Rebecca Blacker’s wedding.

The wedding party was in the reception of the hotel with people, including Mrs Wadsworth, bringing items in from the car park, “in the usual way people do when they arrive to a hotel”.

She had gone back outside into the car park to retrieve more items and was heading across a pedestrian crossing to return to reception when Bannister struck the 66-year-old with his Range Rover at 5.21pm, the court heard.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: A map of Coniston Hotel and Spa with key locations pointed outA map of Coniston Hotel and Spa with key locations pointed out (Image: Google Maps) Mr Smith said: "As he drove to the spa complex of the hotel, he knocked Mrs Wadsworth over, unhappily, killing her.”

He added: "As the defendant manoeuvred to the right, he did not see Mrs Wadsworth and proceeded to drive to the right and it was as she was on that pedestrian walkway that she was struck.

"It's not disputed as the defendant struck her he still did not realise he hit her, so he drove on for about 20 metres, before a sound under the car caused him to stop."

The court heard, experts for both the prosecution and defence agreed the 64-year-old had been driving at between nine miles per hour and 12mph at the time of the crash. 

Bannister had himself been in reception at the same time as the wedding party before getting into his car, which was parked in a spot just outside the building, to head towards the spa at the hotel to meet his son, the court heard.

Mr Smith said Bannister drove towards the junction with the hotel’s access road, where there is a blindspot to the left and vehicles come in from the A65 and then the pedestrian crossing to the right.

The prosecution lawyer added: "As the defendant drove to that junction, he would have had to have paid care to the road to his left, but it's also our case that knowing there was a pedestrian walkway to his right, he also ought to have taken care to the prospect of pedestrians crossing in front of him.

"The question for you in this trial will be, did the defendant pay that due care?”

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Bannister repeatedly said “I didn’t see her”, the court heard.

Mr Smith said: "It's the prosecution's case, the fact he didn't see a pedestrian who was crossing back into reception across a pedestrian walkway, the fact he didn't see her at all, even when he collided with her, was evidence he was driving carelessly.

"The defendant doesn't accept that assertion. The defence's case was he was not careless, that what occurred was an unfortunate accident, that he took care to perform the correct manoeuvre."

The trial continues.