A suspected drink driver accused of killing a young couple after he drove the wrong way up the A14 in Northamptonshire could have been sleepwalking, a court has been told.
William Wilson, aged 33, appeared before Northampton Crown Court today charged with causing the deaths of Stephen Donnelly, aged 26, and Mandy Gold, aged 21, by dangerous driving. He has also been charged by police with driving with excess alcohol.
The court heard Wilson, who is from Brigg in Humberside and appeared in court dressed in a suit, has no recollection of the crash.
The judge was told Wilson has a history of sleepwalking.
His legal representative, Joan Gandolfi, said: “This is where he goes to sleep and he then gets up and he moves thing about.
“He has done it in hotels where he has come down from his room and conducted conversations with people.”
She asked for the case to be put back for tests to be carried out on Wilson.
Mrs Gandolfi added: “He had come that evening from Cambridge and he was undecided whether to go home or go and visit his brother in Northampton.
“He has no recollection from when he got into the car until the time of the collision.”
Judge Michael Fowler added: “We don’t ignore the tragedy that follows for those who are related or are connected to them (the victims).
“I am adjourning this matter and the defendant will remain in custody.”
No pleas were entered and the matter was adjourned until next month for a plea and case management hearing.
Crash victims Mr Donnelly and Ms Gold were killed when their green Ford Ka was involved in a horror crash with a light-coloured Mercedes vehicle and a red Peugeot 208.
The fatal crash happened on Saturday, June 22, at around 11pm, on the A14 between junctions 1 and 7.
The pair, who family say planned to marry, lived in South Yorkshire where they were members of a church, and were returning home after Stephen had performed music at a family wedding in Kettering.