Inquest told 81 year-old motorist pressed accelerator in error and hit retired couple

An 81-year-old motorist pressed his accelerator pedal “in error” and hit a retired couple at high speed, an inquest has heard.

Ex-librarian Mr Pickering, from Colwyn Bay, also died at the scene in Alma Street.

This is after the incident on August 28th last year.

He was not wearing his seat-belt and sustained fatal chest injuries.

The Reverend Stephen and Katherine Burch were both 65-years-old and lived in Alcester, Warwickshire died at the scene.

Caernarfon Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Pickering had earlier tried to pull slowly out of a tight parking space off the seafront near to the Bulkeley Hotel, to allow enough room for his wife, Margaret, to get into the vehicle’s passenger side.

CCTV footage showed the Audi initially accelerate “abruptly” into a group of four pedestrians, knocking down two people who escaped with minor injuries.

The Audi reached a speed of 55mph, in a 20mph zone, in the seconds before the collision, the court heard.