A COLLEGE lecturer and sheep farmer accused of causing the death of a woman in a car crash told a jury he can’t remember the collision.

Iestyn Jones denies being responsible for the fatal incident on the A4046 Cwm bypass, near Ebbw Vale, in which Shirley Culleton, 65, from Cwmbran, died.

Newport Crown Court heard the 54-year-old defendant was suffering from severe sleep apnoea at the time of the crash. 

Jones, who was driving alone in a Hyundai IX35, said he cannot remember the collision with the Suzuki Swift car being driven by Shirley Culleton’s husband.

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She was a front seat passenger in that vehicle and died at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, from her injuries the day after the crash.

Michael Culleton spent several weeks at Abergavenny’s Nevill Hall Hospital after suffering a broken pelvis, fractured ribs and a laceration to his kidney.

Prosecutor Laurence Jones has told the jury Jones is responsible for causing her death and her husband’s serious injuries in the head-on collision.

He said Jones became distracted as he took his eyes off the road and “looked and fiddled with his car radio” before swerving into the path of Mr and Mrs Culleton.

The jury has been told that the defendant said to witnesses at the crash scene that he had retuned his radio just before the collision.

Jones said: “I only took my eye off the road for a second.”

He told the court he could not remember travelling from the roundabout by the Cwm bypass and the next thing he remembered was speaking to someone after the crash.

Mr Jones told the defendant: “You are being selective in what you remember from that day.

“You are choosing not to tell the jury your recollections from that day.”

Jones replied: “I can’t remember.”

The defendant told the court he was an electrical engineering lecturer at Coleg Gwent in Ebbw Vale and also runs a 200-acre sheep farm.

The court heard Jones suffered from snoring but denied he had issues with sleepiness and tiredness during the day.

He told his barrister Matthew Roberts he was an experienced driver who had held a HGV licence to drive lorries.

The defendant, of Old Tram Road, Tafarnaubach, Tredegar, has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He also denies causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury to Mr Culleton by dangerous driving.

The collision happened at around 1.20pm on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

The trial before Judge Richard Williams continues.