Driver admits killing Timothy Pearson - more than two years after fatal crash
A driver has admitted causing the death of his passenger after the car they were in smashed through a garden wall.
Timothy Pearson, aged 23, was killed when a Nissan Skyline driven by Jamie Wharton left the road and careered into a garden in St Peter's Road, Netherton.
Wharton pleaded guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving at Wolverhampton Crown Court today.
The 31-year-old, of Birch Coppice, Quarry Bank, had been due to stand trial on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving but the Crown Prosecution Service agreed to accept a guilty plea to the lesser charge.
Wharton was warned by Judge John Wait that he could expect custody when he was sentenced on Friday.
The court heard the pair were in the car together on the evening of June 3, 2014, when it left the road in wet conditions.
The Nissan skidded sideways off the road in a 'crab-like' movement, the court was told.
Mr Pearson, who was from Quarry Bank, was pronounced dead at the scene. Wharton was injured in the crash but went on to make a full recovery.
Miss Sally Hancox, prosecuting, told the court: "On June 3, 2014, in St Peter's Road, a collision took place between a Nissan Skyline driven by Mr Wharton and a perimeter wall at number one, St Peter's Road, the collision being such that he suffered injuries and the front-seat passenger sadly lost his life."
Wharton, who was dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, showed no emotion during the hearing and spoke only to confirm his guilty plea as family and friends of Mr Pearson looked on from a packed public gallery.
Miss Hancox said the wet road surface and the fact the car had moved sideways before leaving the road made it difficult for investigators to determine how fast the car had been going before the crash.
But she said it was the prosecution's case that Wharton's driving fell 'not far short of dangerous driving'.
She also said there was 'no suggestion of any difficulties or pre-existing mechanical problems' with the car.
"The precise speed of the vehicle immediately before the collision was not able to be established," Miss Hancox said.
Judge Wait told the court: "Loss of life is not something which just happened in June 2014 but continues to affect many lives now.
"That person who lost their life now more than two years ago is irreplaceable to those who lost him."
