THE motorist accused of causing the Selby rail disaster fell asleep at the wheel after staying up all night chatting on the phone to a woman he met on the Internet, a court heard yesterday.

Self-employed builder Gary Hart had struck up a relationship through an Internet lonely hearts column after splitting up from his wife.

Mr Hart claimed he was "buzzing with excitement" about his relationship with Kristeen Panter as he drove from his home in Strubby, Lincolnshire, along the M62 on February 28 this year, a jury was told.

But the prosecution allege that Mr Hart - who arrived at court yesterday with his wife Elaine - was exhausted after spending all night talking to his new-found friend and fell asleep while driving on the motorway.

Mr Hart denies ten charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard how he came into contact with Mrs Panter eight days before the tragedy and was due to meet her for the first time on the night of the crash after developing a "high degree of mutual interest" through telephone conversations and mobile text messages.

But as Mr Hart approached a bridge over the East Coast main line, his Land Rover, which was towing a trailer loaded with a Renault car, left the carriageway, plunged down an embankment and came to rest on the tracks.

At the start of his trial at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, the jury heard how seconds later the Land Rover was wrecked as a GNER express train, travelling at 117mph, ploughed into it.

The express, although derailed, then travelled another 500 metres before it was thrown further off its tracks as it crossed a set of points and then crashed head-on with a freight train travelling in the opposite direction.

Six passengers and four railway workers died in the crash, which happened near the tiny North Yorkshire village of Great Heck.

Opening the prosecution case, James Goss said Mr Hart had fallen asleep at the wheel and veered off the road.

Mr Goss said: "It was discovered that he had not slept the previous night, or even gone to bed, but had spent the great majority of the night - over five hours - on the telephone to a lady he met over the Internet.

"Accordingly, on the morning of the collision, he drove at a time when he was deprived of sleep and in circumstances and for such a period that the prosecution allege that he fell asleep as he was driving."

He added: "That was dangerous driving and, tragically, it caused the deaths of others."

More than 50 relatives of the victims and survivors watched from the packed public gallery, some in tears as the indictment was put.

According to Mr Goss, Mr Hart told police he heard a violent bang from the back of the Land Rover before he veered off the motorway and sped down the embankment.

He said he told officers: "I was travelling along quite happily in lane one when all of a sudden I heard a loud bang from the back of the Land Rover.

"It drifted around and I ended up going into the grass verge.

"I knew I shouldn't brake but I thought I would get it back once it was straight again. But then I just dropped down a steep bank ending up on the train track."

Mr Hart said he was dazed and began to look for his mobile phone - and the train hit his vehicle as he was speaking to the 999 operator.

The trial was adjourned until today.