Pedal stuck, says lake deaths driver

The driver of a car which plunged into a lake killing three children told a court today of the terrifying moments leading up to the tragedy.

Courtney Barker, 22, the boyfriend of the children's mother, told Luton Crown Court how his accelerator pedal "got stuck" only a few feet from the edge of the water. He said he could do nothing to stop the car plunging into a 20ft former gravel pit known as the Blue Lagoon.

Asked by defence counsel Michael Pert QC what went wrong, Barker replied: "When I took my foot off the accelerator it just kept on going."

When asked why he did not apply the brakes he said: "I panicked. I looked at the floor and tried to get the pedal up with my foot. I didn't think to press the clutch."

Imran Khan, six, his brother Aaron, five, and their half-sister Sharla Blair, three, were on an outing last summer to the Blue Lagoon. Barker who is accused of three counts of manslaughter, sobbed as he gave evidence.

The forklift truck driver, who was driving without a licence, insurance or road tax, said he had bought the car to take the family on holidays and shopping trips.

He denied prosecution claims that he had driven the car in a grossly negligent manner.

The case continues.