Pregnant teacher dies two weeks before due date as Porsche crashes into her at 120mph

The distraught widower of a heavily pregnant teacher killed by a Porsche travelling at 120mph fought back the tears at her inquest today.

Anna Kirsopp-Lewis died just two weeks before she was due to give birth to their second child.

Chris Lewis, a director of studies at a £13,000 a term prep school, said his wife lived for their young son Henry and was ‘so very excited’ for the birth of baby Oscar.

Today’s inquest Salisbury Coroner’s Court heard how 34-year-old Miss Kirsopp-Lewis died when pub landlord Ian Barton, 62, lost control of his Porsche Cayenne 4×4 in the rain.

It hurtled into the back of her Peugeot 2008 at a speed of almost 120mph, causing it to plough into a grass verge and throw her from the car.

Miss Kirsopp-Lewis had been on her way to an appointment with a midwife, having just come back from a short break with her family to Cornwall and had spent the morning at the park with her husband and son.

The court heard how she died on her own mother’s birthday.

Dashcam footage shows Mr Barton’s 2.2 tonne black vehicle racing along ‘like a rocket’ on the wrong side of the A36 near Warminster, Wiltshire, just moments before the crash.

An expert witness told the hearing calculations revealed Mr Barton had been doing almost 150mph in the lead up to the crash, which was in a 60mph zone.

Horrified witnesses cried ‘she’s dead, she’s dead’ as they rushed to the scene of the crash around 1pm on December 18 last year.

Mr Lewis, who teaches at Bishopstrow College near Warminster, choked back tears as he paid tribute to his wife.

He said: ‘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 and her life was full of adventure. She was a high achiever, she was quiet and kind, but with unlimited wells of inner strength.’

He also described her as a ‘inspiring teacher, a devoted mother and a loving wife, daughter and friend’.

Mr Lewis added: ‘Our lives are empty without her. Henry will live life without his mother and brother.

‘She had so many hopes for the future. Her contribution to society is a significant loss.’

The court heard statements from a number of witnesses who were overtaken by Mr Barton.

David Woods says he saw the £72,000 vehicle ‘going like a rocket’ and footage shows it speeding between two lorries just seconds before the collision.

Van driver Paul Cloak was the last to be overtaken by Mr Barton before the crash.

He said: ‘It just baffled me how anyone could be driving like that, there’s no excuse for it.’

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

The court heard he could have been doing up to 116mph by the times the vehicles collided.

The inquest also heard a statement from Mr Barton’s wife, with whom he ran a highly-regarded gastropub named The Wheatsheaf in Combe Hay, near Bath.

She 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.’

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

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

Forme College, Somerset, where Miss Kirsopp-Lewis taught media to pupils in years nine to 11, left a statement after the crash.

A spokesperson 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 Miss Kirsopp-Lewis’ family, lawyer Adrian Bucket 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.’

The inquest continues.