An Ipswich man has admitted causing death by careless driving following a crash which left another driver seriously injured and her husband dead.

Ipswich Star: Mike AshtonMike Ashton

Bradley Soden, of Gatacre Road, was brought up from the cells at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court after an arrest warrant was issued last Friday because he failed to attend his first court hearing to be formally charged.

However, Soden’s summons telling him of the court date was sent to a previous address in Cavendish Street and not his new address in Gatacre Road.

Magistrates were told he had been unaware of last week’s hearing. The 33-year-old admitted his actions caused the death of former RAF reservist Mike Ashton, 47, of Hitcham, on March 15 last year on the B1078 at Barking.

Soden was driving a Ford Mondeo which lost control and collided with an oncoming Peugeot 206 driven by Mr Ashton’s wife Angela who was seriously injured in the collision. Her husband had been the front seat passenger.

The court heard Mrs Ashton suffered a broken kneecap, a snapped tendon in an upper leg, severe bruising to the ribs, back, arms and shoulders, and a broken middle toe along with other cuts and bruises.

Lesla Small, prosecuting, said breath and blood tests were carried out on Soden which showed he had consumed alcohol but was under the legal limit.

Mrs Ashton was on the correct side of the road when Soden’s rear wheels lost traction on the road surface.

The vehicle began to slide and this caused Soden to oversteer in an attempt to compensate.

Soden’s Mondeo then clipped the Ashtons’ Peugeot.

The magistrates accepted jurisdiction of the case as they felt it was not necessary to send it to Ipswich Crown Court.

Soden, formerly of Great Bricett, has now been listed to re-appear before a district judge on January 12.

A pre-sentence report was ordered and Soden was released on bail.