A driver killed a mother-of-two when he crashed into her car the morning after a night drinking, a court heard.

Gregory Schalla, 45, was still over the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the early morning smash, the jury was told.

The court heard he lost control and crashed into Karen Powell's car, leaving her with fatal injuries.

Mrs Powell, of Newtown, Copthorne, was on a shopping trip when her Nissan Primera was involved in a head-on crash with Schalla's hired car on the A2220 Copthorne Road.

The 32-year-old, who lived with her husband John and two young children, died later from her injuries.

Schalla, 45, was seriously hurt in the accident near Crawley and spent time in an intensive care ward, as well as weeks in rehabilitation.

At Lewes Crown Court yesterday, Schalla, who lives in Scotland, denied causing death by careless driving while over the legal drink-drive limit.

He sat in the dock wiping away tears as the jury was told how the accident happened.

Alan Kent, prosecuting, said the fatal crash took place at 8am on December 4, 2004, as Mrs Powell was driving to her local Tesco supermarket on an ordinary Saturday morning.

Schalla, driving a Renault Clio, was travelling in the opposite direction when he lost control and swerved on to the wrong side of the road, crashing into her vehicle.

Police believe he was travelling at up to 69mph just before the accident in an area where the speed limit is 60mph.

Another vehicle, a Peugeot 205, smashed into the wreckage. The driver, who could not stop in time, was also hurt.

The court heard Schalla had travelled to Sussex the day before to stay with a friend for the night.

They went to a Beautiful South concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, where Schalla estimated he drank up to six pints of lager.

Schalla had left his hired car at Three Bridges Station. The following morning he wanted to collect it as he feared the vehicle might be clamped.

His friend drove him to pick up the car and Schalla was following him back to his house when the accident happened.

Police arriving at the scene smelt alcohol on Schalla's breath and he was immediately arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol.

Mr Kent said the cause of the crash was driver error and that was due to the effect of alcohol.

Tests on a blood sample taken about four hours after the accident showed he was likely to have had a level of 94mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood at the time of the crash. The legal limit is 80mg.

Mr Kent said the levels suggested Schalla had drunk more than six pints of lager the night before for him to still be over the legal limit the following morning.

Mr Kent said Schalla accepted he caused the accident but denied drink was to blame.

He said: "He accepts he was driving carelessly but he does not accept drink was playing a part."

When Schalla was interviewed by police, he said he had no memory of the crash.

He described how since the accident, he became upset while playing with his own children when he thought of Mrs Powell's children who had lost their mother.

He told police: "It haunts me and I feel absolutely horrible about what happened."

The trial continues.