Football coach Kit Carson died of brain injury in crash

Michael "Kit" Carson denied all the charges and his trial had been due to begin at Peterborough Crown Court

A football coach killed in a car crash on the first day of his sex abuse trial died from a traumatic brain injury, an inquest has heard.

Michael "Kit" Carson's Mazda 3 hit a tree at Bottisham, near Cambridge, on the morning of 7 January.

The 75-year-old, of Riverside, Cambridge, had denied abusing boys over a period of 30 years.

A coroner said there were "further investigations to be done" into the circumstances of the crash.

The inquest in Huntingdon heard Mr Carson's car crashed on a straight section of the single-carriageway A1303, which has a 60mph (95km/h) speed limit.

Cambridgeshire's senior coroner David Heming said a post-mortem examination concluded the cause of death was a brain injury.

He said: "The circumstances as presently known are that the vehicle left the carriageway on to a wide grass verge and collided with a tree.

"It's clear that there are further investigations to be done by Cambridgeshire Police concerning the circumstances of the accident."

Routine toxicological analysis of blood samples would take about six weeks, he added.

The full inquest is due to take place on 18 June.

Mr Carson died at the scene on the A1303 at Bottisham

Mr Carson's trial was due to open at Peterborough Crown Court on the day of his death.

He denied 13 counts in total, which included one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The charges related to 11 boys under the age of 16 and the offences were alleged to have taken place between 1978 and 2009.

Mr Carson worked at Norwich City, Peterborough United and Cambridge United.