Skipton hotel boss cleared as death crash trial collapses

Judith Wadsworth, 66, died the day before her daughter was due to be married at the Coniston Hotel and Spa

The trial of a hotel owner who ran over a bride-to-be's mother on the eve of her wedding has been halted.

Nicholas Bannister had been on trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of causing the death by careless driving of Judith Wadsworth, 66, at the Coniston Hotel and Spa, near Skipton, in 2020.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday there was no longer a prospect of a conviction on the available evidence.

The jury acquitted Mr Bannister, 64, on the directions of the judge.

Mrs Wadsworth was crossing an access road near the main entrance to the Coniston Hotel when she was hit by Mr Bannister's Range Rover in February 2020.

The jury had been told the vehicle pulled out from a small road from the reception area and was travelling at between 9-12mph.

Nicholas Bannister, 64, had denied causing death by careless driving

The car stopped about 65ft (20m) from where the collision took place.

Mr Bannister later told police he only realised what had happened after hearing a "terrible noise" from under the Range Rover.

Prosecutor Michael Smith told the jury the prosecution was no longer offering any evidence.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said this was "an entirely appropriate decision in my view" and ordered the jury of four men and seven women to find Mr Bannister not guilty.