TRUCKER Ian Lawrence faces jail after falling asleep at the wheel and killing Marlborough father-of-two Nick Hall.

Mr Hall, 46, who lived with his wife Monica and two sons in Cherry Orchard, died instantly in the crash on the A350 at Upton Scudamore, near Westbury, last July.

On the day of the accident his sons Freddie, five, and George, three, were waiting as usual at the garden gate for him to come home but saw instead a police car pull up as officers arrived to break the news of the tragedy.

Mrs Hall has since moved out of Marlborough to a nearby village but a relative said the family would not be making any comment until after 60-year-old Lawrence is sentenced.

Following the tragedy Mr Hall's brother Colin said: "He liked a quiet life and he lived for his family."

Mr Hall, who worked for Wiltshire County Council's highway contractors Ringway Parkman, had been standing between his white-lining lorry and its trailer when Lawrence drove into the back of the trailer.

Lawrence, from Exeter, was originally planning to contest the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, but changed his plea to guilty at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that Lawrence's driving had been so bad before the crash that other drivers following him had stopped to tell a police patrol.

The police car had set off to find Lawrence and came across the wreckage of the smash.

The court was told it was the fourth time in just over 18 months that Lawrence had crashed into the rear of other vehicles in the mid afternoon.

Ian Glen QC, prosecuting, told the court: "This is a case that highlights the problem of falling asleep at the wheel.

"It is our case that this defendant fell asleep while driving. He had a history of doing so.

"Because of the immediate driving leading up to this accident and the history it must be obvious he had this tendency and he was a danger to other road users."

Mr Glen said that on the day of the crash, Lawrence was working for Weston-super-Mare-based Complete Delivery taking goods to a chain of convenience stores in Wiltshire.

He said: "Mr Lawrence's day began in Exeter at 4.41am. That was the time he left home to drive to the depot at Avonmouth to make the deliveries.

"At two shops where he had delivered the people said he looked tired and he said he was tired, telling one he was 'knackered.'

"He left Colerne and headed to the store at Amesbury on the A350. He was followed by the Gillingham family who observed his driving."

After seeing Lawrence's lorry clip a number of kerbs and hit the bank at the side of the road the family stopped to tell the driver of a parked police patrol.

Mr Glen said one of the family commented: "He is going to kill someone." After hearing the family's description of the trucker's driving the officer set off in pursuit.

An off-duty firefighter who was following Lawrence's lorry later told police he became concerned when it stopped at a green traffic light.

"From that point the defendant increased speed, he didn't brake, and he drove straight into the back of Mr Hall's trailer and of course Mr Hall was sandwiched between the truck and the trailer.

"The chasing police car encountered the traffic jam caused by the accident. The comment made by a member of the Gillingham family had become a tragic reality."

The accident happened at 2.30pm, which was significant, the court heard.

Mr Glen said: "He was in the habit of nodding off between 2pm and 4pm which is a classic period of time in the daily cycle when people are generally inclined to nod off."

Simon Morgan, defending, said Lawrence did not feel tired before the accident but accepted that he fell asleep briefly before the crash.

Releasing Lawrence on bail for the preparation of reports, Judge McNaught told him he could expect a custodial sentence.

The judge said: "The probability here is a prison sentence and you must accept that. The fact that you are on bail must not lull you into a sense of false security about this."