Swindon driving test examiner Ian Walters jailed for life after murdering wife in motorway smash

Ian Walters claimed to remember nothing of the 130-mile (209km) journey leading up to the crash on the M1, which saw his Mitsubishi L200 "implode" on an embankment near Markfield, Leicestershire.

But text messages sent by his wife Tracy proved that the 51-year-old was "driving and volatile" as the couple returned home from a make-or-break week away at a cottage in North Yorkshire.

A six-week trial at Leicester Crown Court also heard that Walters, a church treasurer and driving test examiner, was questioned over claims of domestic abuse a week before the murder.

Jurors deliberated for four and a half hours before unanimously convicting Walters, who stared impassively at the jury foreman as the verdict was returned.

Walters, of Tregantle Walk, Swindon, was jailed for life by Judge Nicholas Dean QC, who ordered him to serve at least 17 years before becoming eligible to apply for parole.

THe court heard how he was charged with murder after CCTV footage showed his vehicle moving from the M1's middle lane to the hard shoulder moments before it crashed.

Mrs Walters died in hospital two days after the 4x4 veered off the southbound M1 on March 21 last year.

Her husband, a former bank worker, told jurors he could think of "no reasonable reason" for the crash and could remember nothing for more than two hours beforehand.

But a police inquiry established that Walters and his wife, who married in Cyprus in 2012, had sought counselling after a string of rows caused by his unreasonable sexual demands.

Witnesses at the trial likened the crash, which sent items of luggage flying into the air, to a small explosion.

The first witness in the trial, motorist Robin Goss, said the driver of the pick-up appeared to have made a "conscious, deliberate" decision to steer towards the hard shoulder.

Mr Goss, a 39-year-old training consultant from Buckinghamshire, told jurors he was up to 165 yards (150m) behind the L200, doing around 70mph in the inside lane.

"All of a sudden I saw this car just swerve violently across to the left," he told the court.

"It completely disappeared and I remember looking into the hard shoulder. Then I saw what looked like a little explosion."

During the trial it emerged that Mrs Walters, 48, sent a series of urgent text messages to relatives in the run-up to the killing.

In one of the "panicked" texts, she wrote: "He's done it again. He's hurt my back. Don't want to aggravate him."

In another, sent around 55 minutes before the L200 left the road at 12.40pm, she told her son: "He's driving and volatile. I need him arrested when we get back."

The Mitsubishi, which is not thought to have braked, ploughed through shrubbery, was "airborne" for a time after hitting a concrete structure, and eventually struck a line of trees.

After the crash, the metalwork of the vehicle had to be "unpeeled" from around Mrs Walters.

Walters, who was estimated to be driving at between 74mph and 84mph, suffered various fractures and spent several weeks in hospital.

Walters was jailed for life by Judge Nicholas Dean QC, who ordered him to serve at least 17 years before becoming eligible to apply for parole.

Condemning Walters as a "narcissistic" bully who had behaved like a spoiled child, the judge told him: "Since you have not told us what happened before you drove off the M1, it is only what can be pieced together from Tracy's texts that tell us what happened.

"Whilst your actions were not premeditated, your bullying, both physical and psychological, during the morning of the 21st of March, is an aggravating feature in this case."

Pointing out that Mrs Walters had no opportunity to avoid the crash, Judge Dean told her killer: "Before you married Tracy you were a man of good character.

"But your conduct in the marriage demonstrates that, towards Tracy at least, you were a narcissistic, self-centred, self-absorbed bully.

"In my judgment, when you deliberately drove off the motorway, your intention was to kill Tracy.

"You were careless of your own life but you knew as you drove down the M1 that you had lost control over Tracy and killing her was your way of demonstrating that it was you who was in control."

Judge Dean accepted that the murder was not pre-meditated but criticised Walters for his lack of remorse.

Accusing him of lacking any sign of compassion or empathy, the judge added: "You have demonstrated no remorse at all for what you did and no regret for any aspect of your behaviour."

After the hearing, it emerged two Wiltshire Police officers had been the subject of disciplinary hearings over the case, due to the earlier report of domestic violence.

A statement from Wiltshire Police said: "Today Ian Walters, aged 51, has been found guilty of murder after he drove his car at high speed off the M1 and killed his wife, Tracy Walters.

“Wiltshire Police made an immediate and mandatory referral to the Independent Complaints Commission (IPCC) in relation to the death of Tracy Walters, having determined the force had been in contact with her ten days prior to her death on March 11, 2014.

“As a result a full investigation was commissioned, supervised by the IPCC.

“Further to this investigation, one officer appeared before a discipline hearing to answer potential allegations of gross misconduct. He was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour expected of a police officer. The independent panel found the breach amounted to two misconduct matters and he received a final written warning.

“A second officer, further to a separate misconduct process, received a written warning. Both officers remain part of Wiltshire Police and at the time of the incident were stationed in Swindon.

“The force takes matters such as these very seriously and expects all staff to operate within the highest professional conduct.

“Domestic Abuse remains a priority for our force. We are committed to ensuring that all vulnerable victims, including domestic abuse victims, have trust and confidence in us and therefore feel confident in reporting concerns and incidents to us.

“In 2014, as part of a national inspection programme, the Force received recommendations from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) Domestic Abuse Review. 

"In addition, the force commissioned an internal review to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible service to victims. As a result of these reviews, we have adopted a new approach and have made a number of changes to the way that our staff deal with domestic abuse incidents. This has included mandatory training for all officers and changes to ensure that cases reach the courts as quickly as possible.

“We have kept the family of Tracy Walters fully informed throughout and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”