A DEVASTATED man whose wife-to-be was killed after his car overturned visited a chapel of rest every day for a fortnight to be close to her, a jury heard.

David Barnard wrote tragic Sarah Hampton a letter and left a rose in her coffin, he told Worcester Crown Court.

Miss Hampton, aged 20, died after being flung from the passenger seat of Barnard's Peugeot 205 GTi in May last year.

The 23-year-old assistant manager of Yates's Wine Lodge in Kidderminster denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Giving evidence, he said he did not eat or sleep for two weeks after the horrific crash on the A491 Kidderminster to Stourbridge Road at Ismere.

Barnard, of Queen Elizabeth Road, Kidderminster, broke down in tears as his counsel Samantha Forsyth asked how the tragedy had affected him.

He said: "It was like part of me being taken away. It was horrible."

He visited the chapel of rest at the hospital for an hour each day for a fortnight so he could be with his fiance.

"On the last day, because I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral, I wrote her a letter. I took a rose and left it in her coffin," he said.

The crash happened as Barnard was ferrying Miss Hampton and a group of friends home after a night out at The Academy nightclub at Merry Hill.

He was overtaking a Ford Escort driven by Anthony Cable, of Stourport-on-Severn, when his car went out of control.

Barnard, who had not had a drink, said the car "twitched" and went to the right. Then it veered to the left and turned over several times. He was badly cut by flying debris.

Sarah, Helen Smith, and Elaine Groves were thrown out. The fifth occupant, Terah Wainwright and the defendant clambered out.

Barnard, who had only bought the car four days before, said although he had accelerated to 70mph to overtake on a road where the limit is 60mph, he thought it was a safe manoeuvre.

Farmer Stuart Glover, who lives near the scene, told police he found a hysterical Barnard running round shouting: "Sarah, I've killed you. What have I done?"

Vehicle examiner Michael Saunders said although the Peugeot had nearly 94,000 miles on the clock, there was no mechanical defect which could have caused the crash.

Accident investigator David Reece said he could not calculate speed from skidmarks but felt speed and over-reaction in the steering had caused loss of control.

The prosecution alleges Barnard was travelling too fast in a fully-laden car with which he was not totally familiar.

The trial continues.