Man admits killing partner after falling asleep at the wheel

A 32-year-old woman was killed in a crash after her partner fell asleep at the wheel, a court has heard.

Rebecca Tasker was in the back seat of her car, being driven by 30-year-old Edward Carty on the A90 near Errol, Perth and Kinross, when the incident happened.

Disqualified driver Carty veered off the road, sending the vehicle down an embankment before striking two trees.

Carty will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh in August.

He admitted causing Ms Tasker's death by dangerous driving.

The court was told members of the public were able to pull two children from the car, who were unharmed.

Carty's friend also escaped without injury but Ms Tasker was pronounced dead at the scene.

She suffered two spinal injuries, a severe neck injury and blunt force trauma to several ribs.

Carty - who had been driving for 14 hours without rest - later posted on social media app TikTok that he had fallen asleep.

The court heard that the car was seen to move towards the edge of the road and Carty attempted to correct its course.

The car then crossed over into another lane and Carty again tried to steady the vehicle.

Prosecutor Ruaridh Ferugson said: "The vehicle started to veer in an anti-clockwise direction before crossing the grass verge and a path."

The vehicle then went on to travel at a 90 degree angle and went backwards.

Mr Ferguson: "At this point, the car collided with a tree causing damage to the door and the tree."

The car continued to travel, facing backwards down the embankment, before colliding with another tree.

The vehicle then rolled up the tree trunk which caused the roof to face downwards into the passenger compartment.

Brian Bell, defending, said: "He accepts full responsibility, the comment about asking her to drive - he doesn't remember that.

"He recalls saying it on TikTok but he doesn't recall asking her to drive."

Judge Lord Young told Carty: "You will be aware that custody is inevitable for an offence of this gravity."

Carty, of Blackburn, England, was disqualified from driving and remanded in custody in the meantime.