AN INQUEST has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on a teacher who died in a head-on accident with a car driven by one of her former pupils.

Mother-of-three Mary "Myra" Martin died in September last year after a car being driven by her 20-year-old former primary school student ploughed into her on the C102 in Ringwood Forest.

Her family told how they had forgiven the man responsible for her death, Kristian Dluzewski, who had passed his test four weeks before the crash.

Husband Eddie Martin said Dluzewski had suffered enough and had shown extreme remorse.

He also said a 51-week suspended prison sentence passed on Dluzewski, after he pleaded guilty to death by dangerous driving, was fair.

And he told how his wife, who taught at the St James First School in Alderholt where she was Dluzewski's first teacher 15 years before her death had repeatedly said the road was dangerous and that one day there would be a fatal accident.

Mrs Martin, 57, was heading north towards Alderholt when the crash happened on September 7. Dluzewski was coming the other way in his father's Ford Mondeo.

As Dluzewski approached the Bakers Hanging turn-off he decided to overtake the lorry in front of him and pulled out, only to realise halfway through the manoeuvre that he was not going to make it.

The court heard how Dluzewski tried to pull in front of the lorry but it was too late and he struck Mrs Martin's Audi.

Dluzewski had to be freed by firefighters and needed surgery on his legs.

In police interview he said he had not seen the oncoming Audi until it was too late and cited the diesel Mondeo's lack of power as a reason for not completing the overtake.

The driver of the lorry, though, described the manoeuvre as "suicidal", adding: "Nobody had a chance it was so dangerous."

Passing a verdict of unlawful killing on Mrs Martin, coroner Keith Wiseman said: "The crash was an accident in as far as nobody intended it to happen. But, sometimes the negligence involved in bringing it about can be enough to warrant a verdict of unlawful killing."

He added: "It was a horrendous mistake."

Mr Martin, married to Mrs Martin for 33 years, said: "I'm not for reducing speeds everywhere, but that stretch of road is not built for big vehicles travelling at speed and it would make safe sense to drop the speed limit, particularly on the corners and blind hills, to 40mph.

"I just hope other young drivers will learn from this terrible tragedy and think twice about the consequences of their actions."

A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: "We will of course take due note of the coroner's comments, and will look into the matter further when we receive his letter, taking into account relevant factors such as the accident record on this stretch of road."