A BUILDER accused of causing the death of two teenagers from the Wisbech area has walked free from court after a judge directed a jury to bring not guilty verdicts. Stephen Nanson, of Hall Road, Walpole Highway, had denied causing the deaths of 19-year-ol

A BUILDER accused of causing the death of two teenagers from the Wisbech area has walked free from court after a judge directed a jury to bring not guilty verdicts.

Stephen Nanson, of Hall Road, Walpole Highway, had denied causing the deaths of 19-year-old driver Claire Stubberfield and her rear seat passenger Robert Hostler, 17, in a crash on the Broadend Road junction of the A47 at Walsoken on December 5.

But judge Paul Downes ended the trial following legal arguments after accident investigator Sgt Richard Fraser told the hearing at Norwich Crown Court that the report he had prepared had not attributed the cause of the crash to Nanson's driving and no aspect of the 42-year-old's driving had caused the accident.

However, a new charge of dangerous driving was put before Nanson before he left the court and he will face another trial on that basis.

Judge Downes directed the jury of five men and seven women to bring in not guilty verdicts after Sgt Fraser said that any driver going more than 5mph could not have avoided the impact.

Nanson had denied causing the deaths of Miss Stubberfield of Orchard Drive, West Walton and Mr Hostler of from Walsoken.

It had been alleged that Nanson was driving at 100mph on a 60mph road.

The charges are in relation to a collision between Mr Nanson's Jeep Cherokee and Miss Stubberfield's Ford Ka.

During the trial the court had been told that Miss Stubberfield was pulling out of a staggered junction at Broadend Road onto the A47 at Walsoken near Wisbech when her Ka was struck by the Jeep.

Miss Stubberfield was driving with Mr Hostler and another 17-year-old girl back to Mr Hostler's house.

Nanson had been to a pool match with friends at a pub in Emneth and was driving home on the A47 towards King's Lynn at about 10.20pm when the collision happened.

During the trial Sgt Fraser had agreed with Matthew McNiff, defending that when Miss Stubberfield pulled out of the Broadend Junction she had either failed to see Nanson's Jeep or had misjudged its speed.

Nanson will face a new plea and directions hearing on October 1.