A TEENAGER has admitted causing the death of a 71-year-old charity collector in a motorway horror smash.
Anne Tongs, of Eastern Esplanade, Southend, died on June 4 when Chloe Thompson, 19, ploughed into the back of her car while she was in stationary traffic on the M25 near Swanley, Kent.
Thompson, of Carlton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, admitted a charge of causing death by dangerous driving at Maidstone Crown Court.
Mrs Tongs, who was driving a Citroen C4, was pronounced dead at the scene. Others involved in the four-car crash were taken to hospital.
Anita Bryant, 68, of Shoebury, was a friend of Mrs Tongs, who was a member of the RNLI and used to collect cash for the charity on Southend High Street.
She said: “I had known her for two years and she was a very good friend in that short time.
“We were all part of the same group.
“She had two daughters, one who lives in Billericay and one who lives in Helsinki.
“She was coming back from taking her to the airport when it happened.”
Mrs Bryant said Mrs Tongs and others were part of a social group who would meet by the pier on Tuesdays and go for long walks.
Since her death, the group have been raising funds to install a memorial bench near her former home, opposite Sealife Adventure.
She said: “We wanted to do something because we were all devastated.
“Anne used to organise the walk and now it’s called Anne’s Walk.
“When we came back we used to stop at the Esplanade or at the Castle.
“We started to do raffles in the pub to raise the funds. We have hit the target now but we have a lot of items left over to raffle. Anne didn’t want flowers, she wanted donations to the RNLI and Macmillan so anything more we raise will go to them.”
The bench cost and plaque cost a total of £1,290 and is set to be unveiled next week.
Thompson will appear at the court to be sentenced on February 8.
Judge David Griffith-Jones QC order a pre-sentence report from the probation service.
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