Christie in court over crash

Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Linford Christie was driving on the wrong side when he collided head on with a taxi carrying a newlywed couple, a court was told.

The former 100m champion's Audi A8 smashed into the taxi carrying Peter Ashton, his bride Claire Lloyd-Ashton, her uncle, Michael Burt, and driver Naeem Akhtar.

Lloyd-Ashton told the court that moments after the collision Christie exclaimed: "Oh my God! It's all my fault, it's all my fault. I've phoned the police. I've phoned the ambulance."

With that, he collapsed and began rolling around on the ground in shock, Aylesbury Crown Court heard. Christie, 51, denies dangerous driving on May 8 last year on the A413 Amersham Road in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire.

Nigel Ogbourn, for the prosecution, said the crash occurred at about 11.30pm. Christie, who lives in Chalfont St Peter, had just driven away from a Tesco Express petrol station beside the A413, where he had gone to buy some milk. Finding the shop closed, he took a slip road back on to the A413, but ended up on the wrong side of the carriageway. Coming towards him was Akhtar in his Mercedes taxi.

Ogbourn said Christie had been driving on the wrong side of the road for 185m before the collision. The taxi ended up on a grass verge and Christie's car ended up sideways in the centre of the road. Both were badly damaged.

Christie allegedly told officers that he had only recently moved to the area and must have suffered a "lapse" as he looked for the A413.

The case continues.

- Independent