Woman accused of causing deaths of husband and wife by dangerous driving

A woman has appeared in court accused of causing the deaths of a husband and wife by dangerous driving following a crash tragedy on the A66 near Appleby.

Steven Goodings, 60, and Christine Goodings, 61, were involved in a three-vehicle collision close to the village of Warcop on Monday 23 May 2022.

Police said at the time that a Volkswagen T-Cross and a heavy goods vehicle were also involved in the collision.

Mrs Goodings, from Sunderland, was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband was left in a critical condition. He later died in hospital on 16 June.

Three other people were said to have been injured as a result of the collision.

Ellen Leslie, 55, was charged with causing the deaths of both Mr and Mrs Goodings by dangerous driving when she appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 26 September.

During a short hearing, the accused appeared remotely over a video link.

In a short address to deputy district judge Morgan, prosecutor George Shelley said: “The deceased persons were a married couple — with two adult sons — and both tragically died as a result of this collision.”

No pleas were entered by Leslie, of Hamlet Road, South London, to the two charges she faces.

The court heard these charges are “indictable only” which means the case can only be dealt with by a judge.

Deputy district judge Anna Moran sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court, where Leslie is due to appear there on 24th October.

In the meantime Leslie — who was represented by a solicitor during today’s hearing — was granted unconditional bail.