A DRIVER has been cleared of killing a friend in a crash after tests showed that the accident was caused by a faulty tyre rather than her driving.

Rebecca Mann has had to wait more than 20 months since the crash near Okehampton to clear her name but walked free from Exeter Crown Court after expert reports showed she was not to blame for the accident.

Ms Mann was giving her friend Marin Evans, aged 25, a lift when her Ford Focus car swerved onto the wrong side of the road and hit a Peugeot 206 head on.

Marin, from Bradford near Highampton, who worked as an outdoor sports instructor, was the front seat passenger and died as a result of the accident, which happened at Thorndon Cross on the A3079 on August 13, 2016. She was declared deceased at the scene.

The case was due to be heard by a jury at Exeter Crown Court this week but the prosecution offered no evidence after receiving a joint report from experts hired by the prosecution and defence.

It showed the offside rear tyre had become partially deflated during the journey because of a faulty valve. The court was told there was no way Ms Mann could have known this. 

The defective tyre was the direct cause of her car veering onto the wrong side of the road and the accident was not caused by her driving in any way.

Ms Mann, aged 31, of Sourton, denied and was acquitted of causing death by careless driving.

Judge Timothy Rose apologised to her for the stress she had suffered while awaiting trial. He said the decision to drop the case was very sensible.

He said: ‘This matter goes back to a tragic incident more than 18 months ago. Everyone has had to live with the consequences ever since.

‘It is obviously a severe tragedy for all concerned with the deceased and the terrible circumstances they have had to endure. I have seen the views of her family and have noted they were very generous and thoughtful.

‘Equally, this has been a very difficult time for the defendant, having to go through 18 months without knowing what might happen to her and what the outcome might be.

‘I am very sorry on your behalf that it has taken as long as it has. Nobody is to be criticised for that, sometimes these cases take a protracted time. I appreciate you have been under a great deal of stress and worry. This has been a tragedy for all sides, yourself included.’

Nigel Wraith, prosecuting, said the case had been reviewed in the light of the joint expert report and it had been decided to offer no evidence.

Edward Hetherington, defending, said: ‘There was a latent defect in the tyre which could not have been known about by my client. The right decision has been reached in this case.’