A woman suffered fatal injuries when a two-seater sports car with three people inside smashed into a tree.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that accounts manager Rachel Scantlebury, 26, had been on the lap of John Oddy in the passenger seat of Scott Dry's TVR Griffith 500.

It span out of control and crashed at the junction of Queens Road and Princess Road in July 2004.

Miss Scantlebury, of Parish Ghyll Drive, Ilkley, died at the scene while self-employed chartered accountant Mr Oddy suffered a catalogue of serious injuries, including three broken vertebrae and a broken pelvis.

Miss Scantlebury, who had taken part in charity-fundraisers, had been out that night at a pub quiz with friends and was due to visit her parents in Majorca the next day.

Dry, 42, of Westwood Mount, Ilkley, has denied causing Miss Scantlebury's death by dangerous driving and yesterday a jury of six men and six women was sworn in to hear the case against him.

Before hearing anything about the case, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC warned the jury they would have to put any feelings of sympathy for the deceased, her family and friends to one side and he stressed that emotion should play no part in their decision.

Barrister Ian Howard said: "The prosecution case is that as the car was going uphill Mr Dry lost control.

"The car skidded and it began to rotate clockwise before colliding with a tree on the other side of the road and it is the passenger side of the car that took the full impact of the collision.

"The prosecution say the cause of the accident was the excessive speed at which the car negotiated the bend.''

Mr Howard alleged that a "harsh steering manoeuvre'' or further acceleration combined with the excessive speed caused the car to rotate across the carriageway

Shortly after the fatal crash Dry made repeated denials that he had been the driver at the time, but in a formal police interview he accepted that he had been behind the wheel.

Mr Howard said the jury would have to assess whether that was a futile attempt to distance himself from what had happened, due to his knowledge about the driving prior to the accident, or whether it was something brought about by confusion or concussion. The jury were told that they would hear differing opinions from prosecution and defence experts about the estimated speed of the TVR.

Mr Howard said it was agreed the car was doing about 24mph when it struck the tree, but while the defence expert suggested a speed of 30-35mph prior to the accident the prosecution would allege it was probably in excess of 50mph.

In a statement read to the court Mr Oddy described how he had been drinking with Dry before they decided to go for a meal.

He described how he saw Miss Scantlebury sitting in the Rose and Crown pub and a few minutes later Dry got a call from her as the two men were going to a takeaway restaurant.

While Oddy went to pick up the food Miss Scantlebury met Dry and the two of them then drove in his car to the takeaway.

Mr Oddy explained how Miss Scantlebury had to literally sit on him in the passenger seat which was only large enough for one person.

Mr Oddy said he did not think he put the seat belt on and could not see where they were going as the car drove off.

"I then felt an enormous jolt to my left and I realised we had crashed into something but I didn't realise what,'' he said.

"Rachel was still in my arms. I was trying to talk to her but she wasn't answering me.''

Mr Howard said it was part of the prosecution's case that people living nearby reported hearing a loud, revving engine on Victoria Road which has a speed limit of 30mph.

Bernard Gribbin, who lives in the area, told the jury that he was getting ready for bed when he heard an engine gradually revving until it was "screaming''.

"Then there was a slight pause and then I heard the impact of the crash.''

The trial continues.