A MUM-OF-SIX was tired from looking after her children and two horses when she killed two pedestrians while driving home from stables in her 4x4.

Emma Downs, 38, told police she was fed up after looking after her children all day.

She had hit her head on a shovel while mucking out her two horses before getting into her Nissan Pathfinder to drive home, a court heard.

The jury was told she was using full beam headlights when she ploughed into a group of three walkers, killing two of them.

She did not brake or try to avoid the group before hitting them at least 40mph, the court heard.

It was almost completely dark on September 9, 2017 when her vehicle hit James Morden and Matthew Lind, both 31, who were walking back to their campsite with Mr Lind’s partner Lauren Maynard.

She suffered a head injury and bruising.

Both men died at the scene.

Emma Downs, from Crowborough, passed breathalyser and other fitness to drive tests following the collision.

The full beam headlights could have lit up the road for 100 metres in front of the car, an expert said.

Emma Downs told police: “I was driving straight, looking straight ahead. I heard a sound, boom boom.

“I looked in the mirror and it looked clear.

“I thought it was a deer or a horse.

“Then I could see people, so I stopped the car.

“I was feeling cold and tired and fed up and I’d had the kids all day. I’ve got six kids and it’s quite a lot. I love my horses, they are my world.”

Lewes Crown Court heard Emma Downs had been prescribed painkillers and Tramadol in the weeks before the crash.

In text messages downloaded from her phone, she told friends she could barely see at night.

She texted: “I was really struggling with my meds and no food. Keep fainting. I can barely drive, it’s not safe at night.

“It took me 30 mins to write that, I need an eye test.”

Collision investigator Paul Banks said there would have been time for an alert driver to stop in time if they had seen the group of walkers.

“The point of full beam is to illuminate everything,” he said.

The two men were walking in a group with Mr Lind’s partner when the car drove into them. Lauren Maynard, described the moment the 4x4 hit them and said: “I thought it was going fast, about 50mph. I turned around again to see how far away it was. I noticed it hadn’t slowed. I heard it hitting branches. I started to say ‘it’s not slowing down’. I hadn’t finished the sentence when the car hit us.”

Ms Downs made no attempt to slow down or avoid the group before the collision, the court heard.

The two men were part of group of 16 friends and colleagues on a weekend break in the Sussex countryside in September 2017. They were split into two groups, all walking on the left side of the road with their backs to traffic coming up behind them. None of the group were carrying torches or wearing reflective clothing, the court heard. Emma Downs denies two counts of causing death by careless driving.

The trial continues.