'Suicide attempt' killed motorist

A 75-year-old man killed another driver during a botched suicide attempt two days before he was due to answer sexual misconduct claims, a court heard.

Raymond Swinford, of Chapel Close, Littlehampton, veered his car into Cyril Thorpe's Nissan Sunny in June 2006, Lewes Crown Court was told.

Jurors heard that he was due to answer bail over claims of sexual misconduct 20 years earlier.

Mr Swinford, a retired taxi driver, denies manslaughter.

Angela Morris, prosecutor, said: "It's the crown's case that Mr Thorpe's death was caused deliberately by this defendant's actions, deliberately manoeuvring his vehicle into the side of Mr Thorpe's car and thereby causing the collision between the two vehicles."

Mr Swinford was also arrested in 2003 over sexual misconduct on another person 20 years earlier, but no action was taken, the prosecution said.

Lewes Crown Court was told that Mr Swinford, who had been diagnosed with emphysema a month before the crash, left an apparent suicide letter for his partner Deborah Rogers.

In the letter address to "Dearest, darling Debsey", he said: "I feel so useless. My health is horrible."

Ms Rogers called police who launched a missing persons investigation after she discovered tablets were missing from her bedside table.

Jurors were told that CCTV cameras captured him buying brandy, lemonade and a glass from a supermarket and his car was spotted by police later that afternoon.

Officers followed his vehicle and indicated for him to pull over but Mr Swinford failed to stop.

Ms Morris said as the officer followed at a distance behind Mr Swinford's Skoda Octavia he deliberately veered into Mr Thorpe's causing his car to crash into a tree.

The trial continues.