A MAN has admitted causing the death of a young couple as they walked across a pedestrian crossing - but he denies driving dangerously.

Ashley Deadman, 28, Bostoke Close, Basildon, has pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of 30-year-old Carli Scott and 25-year-old Dean Evans by careless driving in Nethermayne, on March 22, last year.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service rejected his plea - and opened the trial where he stands charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Yesterday, at Basildon Crown Court, prosecutor Chris Paxton said: “Deadman accepts his responsibility and he says his driving was careless.

“We feel it falls far below that of careless driving and is more serious than that. On that night, the defendant was driving his car dangerously and in doing so caused the death of two people.

“They died as they used a pedestrian crossing with the green lights in their favour.

“Deadman drove through a red light but the danger was not just that. He drove through a red light at speed with one head light not working and there is evidence he had cannabis in his system.

“We say that amounts to dangerous driving.”

The packed court heard the prosecution state that Deadman was speeding in his Volkswagon Passat down Nethermayne when he crashed into Carli and Dean.

Carli was pronounced dead at the scene while Dean died in hospital.

Witness Sara Cressy was a passenger in a Mercedes following his vehicle and told the court he had not used his brakes or swerved prior to hitting the couple.

She said: “The car came flying out of the Knares onto Nethermayne. I said ‘Jesus that has got to be doing 50 or 60mph.’

“It was going very fast. It went straight through the crossing. I then saw only what I could describe as a pile of clothes flying into the air, hit the top of the car and then land on the floor.”

Two other witnesses also told the court Deadman had gone through a red light and that the couple were in the road when they were hit.

The public gallery was packed with relatives of Ms Scott and Mr Evans, some of whom began crying as the crash was described.

Deadman is also charged with two lesser counts of causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs which he also denies.

If the jury feels unable to find him guilty of dangerous driving, they may choose to find him guilty of the lesser charges or not guilty of all four.

The trial continues.