Durham crash: Lyndsey Watkins died in 'domestic abuse episode'

Lyndsey Watkins, 31, was unlawfully killed in a car crash

A woman was unlawfully killed when her partner crashed their car in a "domestic abuse episode", an inquest has found.

Lyndsey Watkins, 31, and Ryan Turner, 27, both died when he crashed a BMW near Durham in September 2021.

Mr Turner was driving at excessive speed and under the influence of drugs, County Durham and Darlington assistant coroner Crispin Oliver said.

He had stopped Ms Watkins leaving the car shortly before impact.

The crash happened at about 01:30 BST on 5 September near a farm on the A688 Bowburn bypass.

Mr Oliver said Mr Turner, of Ludworth, County Durham, made an "inexplicable and unnecessary right turn" and "failed to apply breaking" causing the car to leave the road.

The driver suffered blunt force head injuries and his death was due to a road traffic collision, the assistant coroner concluded.

Ryan Turner was the "primary perpetrator" of the "domestic abuse episode"

Neither of those in the car were wearing seatbelts and shortly before the crash Ms Watkins had tried to get out but had been "physically prevented from doing so," Mr Oliver said.

Ms Watkins had "remained fearful and under his control until the time of the [crash] during the course of an ongoing domestic abuse episode of which the driver was the primary perpetrator," the court heard.

"The driver had owed her a duty of care and had breached it. The risk of death was reasonably foreseeable.

"The driver's misconduct was grossly negligent."

Mr Oliver concluded Ms Watkins was unlawfully killed after suffering head and chest injuries.

He said Mr Turner was killed instantly while Ms Watkins, who was born in Hartlepool and lived in Horden near Peterlee, never regained consciousness and died shortly after.

In a statement released after her death, her family said she was a "much-loved mam, sister, auntie, granddaughter and cousin, and will be sadly missed".