INQUEST UPDATE: Husband pays tribute to his pregnant wife

Frome College teacher Anna Kirsopp-Lewis, 34, died after Ian Barton, 62, crashed into her Peugeot 2008 with his Porsche Cayenne 4x4 on the A36 near Black Dog Hill on December 18 last year.

The pub landlord's vehicle hurtled into hers at such speed that she was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead at the scene. He died five days later from his injuries.

Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis was on her way to a midwife appointment and was just two weeks away from the date she was due to give birth to her son Oscar when she died.

Her husband Chris Lewis told an inquest into her death in Salisbury today: “She was my wife, my best friend and my future. She was kind, compassionate and clever, the reason I was happy.”

Devastated Mr Lewis, who teaches at Bishopstrow College near Warminster, choked back tears as he paid tribute to his wife at the start of today's inquest at the Wiltshire & Swindon Coroner's Court.

He said: “How do I describe Anna? Anna made you feel joy. Time spent in her company was always full of laughter. She injected fun into everything she did, bringing good humour and wit to all situations.

“She loved to tell corny jokes, to eat chips in the rain and win at ball games. She was full of energy and enthusiasm and for her life was full of adventure.

“Anna was a high achiever. At school she enjoyed learning and experiencing new things. She was quiet and conscientiousness, determined and with unlimited wells of inner strength.

“Anna was caring and had a strong sense of fairness that meant that people naturally warmed to her. She developed into an inspiring teacher, a devoted mother, a loving wife, a respected colleague and dear friend.

“Anna was a teacher and a leader in her short professional career. Anna developed a wealth of experience from working in China, an international school in Vietnam and an inner city school in Manchester.

“She was forging a successful career. It wasn’t just a job to her. She was committed to her students and to education and always went the extra mile to support the young people she was working with.

“Anna knew the power of kindness and patience. She took teaching seriously and made a difference to the lives of those in her care, supporting them to be the best they could be and enabling them to reach their potential.

“Anna was skilled and dedicated. The tributes left by staff and students who worked with her are a striking acknowledgement of this.

“Anna was a daughter and a sister. She was an anchor point at celebrations, always making the cake for birthdays and being the chief organiser.

“As Anna became an adult and a mother herself, the importance of family remained. Despite living miles apart, the family made every effort to come together for events and occasions.

“For her family Anna was always making memories for the future, even when things didn’t quite go to plan we knew we would be laughing about it in years.

“Anna was my wife and my best friend and my future. She was kind and compassionate, funny and clever, the reason I was happy. Together we had stability and direction and could achieve anything.

“We forged a life and a family and had successful careers. We wanted to make a difference, not just to each other’s lives but to our community.

“Anna’s strength and determination to do the right thing were an inspiration. She inspired me, as she did others, to do better and made me a better person.

“Anna was a mother. She always wanted to have a family and planned for our son Henry as soon as we were married. Anna loved being a mother, it came to her easily and naturally.

“Henry was the centre of Anna’s life and their relationship was beautiful. She always focused on his needs and filling his world with laughter and love. Henry was everything to Anna, as she was to him.

“Anna did not want Henry to be an only child. She wanted other siblings and Oscar was that baby. He was planned for and much anticipated. She was so very excited about his imminent birth and enjoyed preparing for his life.

“Our lives are empty without her. Henry will live a life without his mother and brother.

“Anna had so many hopes and plans for her future, both personal and professional. Her contribution to society is a significant loss.

“And this bereavement is felt keenly in her close family and by friends, colleagues and students.”

Mr Lewis, 40, who met Anna while both were training to be teachers at the University of Exeter, told the inquest the couple had spent the morning of her death playing in the park with their son Henry, then aged two and a half.

Afterwards, Anna then left home to visit a café and go to her last midwifery appointment in Frome before giving birth. She was 38 weeks pregnant with her baby son, whom the couple were going to call Oscar.

But she never made it. The hearing was told Mr Barton's four-wheel drive reached estimated speeds of up 134 mph along the A36 before he crashed into the back of her vehicle at 1.05pm.

Tragically, the court heard Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis' death came on her own mother's 60th birthday.

Shocking dashcam footage revealed Mr Barton's black Porsche Cayenne GTS had been racing along 'like a rocket' on the wrong side of the 60mph A36 just moments before the fatal crash.

The coroner was told horrified drivers who rushed to help after the crash cried “she's dead, she's dead.”

Paramedics desperately tried to save Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis, who taught media studies at Frome College, but she and her baby were pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Barton, 62, was rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with serious multiple injuries, but he died five days later on December 23.

The court heard statements from a number of witnesses who were overtaken by Mr Barton on the A36, with footage showing the £72,000 Porsche speeding between two lorries just seconds before the crash.

One horrified witness, David Woods, described Mr Barton's Porsche as 'going like a rocket', while another, Harry Barnes, recalled horrified onlookers crying 'she's dead, she's dead' after the terrifying crash.

Van driver Paul Cloke, who was driving the last vehicle to be overtaken by Mr Barton before the crash, said: “It was just a black blur by the side of me. I don’t recall seeing any brake lights.

“I saw it fish tailing and then I saw the debris.

“I am just baffled that any time, on that road, that somebody could drive like that. There is no excuse for it.”

David Woods, driving a Fiat Panda from Amesbury to Bath, was almost forced off the road to avoid a collision as Mr Barton sped between vehicles on the wrong side of the road while overtaking.

He told the inquest that Mr Barton’s black 4x4 flashed past him at a “tremendous speed” forcing him to pull hard to his left to avoid being hit.

“I can’t put on estimate on his speed but he went by like a rocket,” he said.

Mr Barnes, driving a red Jaguar, was immediately behind Mr Cloke’s van. He told the inquest that he was overtaken by a large black car going so fast he couldn’t determine the make or model.

“It was travelling too fast. It overtook the van and then started to fishtail and then I saw debris and the driver was struggling to stay on the road.”

Alistair Wood, driving a grey BMW towards Warminster, said he saw a set of headlights coming towards him from the opposite direction.

“I pulled over to my left and the other driver pulled over to his left. We only just avoided hitting each other.”

Zachary Tullett, driving an Audi, said he saw Mr Barton’s vehicle crossing solid double white lines to overtake other vehicles at high speed.

Then he saw the vehicles in front brake and slow down and realised there had been a collision.

John Graham, driving a Ford Transit van, was also overtaken by Mr Barton who crossed the double white lines as he sped down Black Dog Hill.

“He was doing more than 100mph and overtook the HGV in front of me. I just could not believe it. It shook me up. It was a terrible piece of driving.”

Crash expert Dean Beaumont, from the Traffic Research Laboratory in Wokingham, who reviewed footage from a number of vehicle dashcams, said he calculated Mr Barton was travelling at between 120mph and 148mph before the crash.

Mr Beaumont said he was sure that Mr Barton would have been doing at least 100mph at the time of the crash, telling the court he believed it could have been up to 116mph.

The publican’s vehicle was seen to tumble along the A36 for a further 143 metres at a speed estimated to be around 84mph before hitting part of a tree and a fence and ending up in a field.

Mr Barton had travelled to Warminster to pay J&G Vehicle Repairs for work on his car and was making his way to Mole Valley Farmers at Standerwick before the accident occurred.

The inquest also heard a statement from Mr Barton's wife Adele, with whom he ran The Wheatsheaf in Combe Hay, near Bath, where he had been landlord for 27 years and was popular, well-known and highly-regarded.

Mrs Barton said: 'Ian would never wish anyone harm, which is what makes these circumstances all the more tragic. He was a good, kind man. He did drive fast, but not erratically and never took risks.”

Senior Coroner David Ridley said both Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis and Mr Barton died from multiple injuries following the crash.

He added no faults had been found with Mr Barton's vehicle which could have caused the incident.

Mr Ridley said Barton had demonstrated complete “indifference” to other road users as he raced along the wrong side of the road before losing control and killing himself and Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis.

He recorded a conclusion of death by road traffic collision for Mr Barton and unlawful killing for Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis.

He said: “Anna's vehicle was hit from the rear by Mr Barton's Porsche Cayenne.

“'It was not being driven in a manner having regard to the speed restrictions or the weather conditions - that it was wet and windy - at the time.

“Her seatbelt was ripped into pieces and she was ejected from the vehicle, coming to rest in the road. She died at the scene.

“She was heavily pregnant and her unborn son also died as a result. The Porsche was not being driven adhering to the road markings in the lead up to the crash.

“I conclude Mr Barton's death was the result of a road traffic collision.

“For Anna, unlawful killing in the context of road traffic incidents is very rare, it must satisfy the criteria for gross negligence manslaughter.

“I am sure that Mr Barton owed a duty of care to Anna and other road users.

“The manner in which he was driving can only be described as aggressive, audacious and abhorrent. There's no excuse, cars were effectively being told 'get out of the way'.

“I am sure it can be categorised as truly, exceptionally bad and I return a conclusion of unlawful killing.”

In a statement after the tragic crash, a spokesman for Frome College, where Miss Kirsopp-Lewis taught media to pupils in years 9-11, said: “Anna was an inspirational teacher who cared deeply for all her students.

“She was a dear colleague, whose strength and commitment will be so missed by everyone at the College, and all who knew her.”

Representing Mrs Kirsopp-Lewis' family, London barrister Edwin Buckett told the hearing: 'Had he been alive, it is my submission that Mr Barton would have been prosecuted for gross negligence manslaughter.

“It is incredible that only two vehicles were involved. What we have here is negligence of the grossest kind. It is unlawful killing.”