Death crash coach driver changes her plea at last minute

Exclusive

Video of the tragic moment a coach swerved across a road and caused a horror crash which killed two people has been shown to a judge.

The harrowing eight-second clip was recovered from CCTV onboard a National Express service being driven by 50-yearold Pauline Camplin.

It showed the coach veering over a white line and narrowly missing two oncoming cars on the A2050 near Harbledown.

It then struck an oncoming red BMW, causing it to spin out of control and into another vehicle.

Canterbury estate agent Rachel Francis, 38, was left fighting for her life after the accident but died from her injuries a week later.

Her 40-year-old partner, Bryan Webster, was killed instantly.

Camplin, of St Mary’s Close, Nonington, had denied two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, but dramatically changed her plea at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

Defence barrister John Fitzgerald had asked the judge’s views on the crash after telling her that Camplin would plead guilty to the lesser charge of causing the deaths by careless driving. He said that it was “a momentary lapse of judgment” by the driver and did not amount to driving dangerously.

But Judge Adele Williams replied that Camplin was a professional driver and asked if there was an explanation why the coach had crossed the line. Mr Fitzgerald said there was not.

And after viewing the onboard videos, including one showing the driver steering to the right, Judge Williams ruled it was up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide if it should accept the plea to the lesser charge.

Following a 15-minute adjournment, Camplin returned to the dock and admitted the more serious charges, twice whispering her guilty plea.

She was bailed until September, when she will be sentenced after the judge has read victim impact statements from the bereaved families.

The scene on the A2050 at Harbledown after the crash in which two people died

Estate agent Rachel Francis died after the crash