Tancredo Bankhardt

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Tancredo Bankhardt is accused of trying to kill himself and passengers in a car(Image: East Anglia News Service)

A man with three children in his car allegedly drove into oncoming traffic in an attempt to take his own life and that of his passengers, a court heard.

Tancredo Bankhardt “decided to end his own life” and that of the three children “by deliberately orchestrating a road traffic collision”, claimed prosecutor Stephen Rose KC.

He told Norwich Crown Court that the 41-year-old did this by “deliberately driving at some speed into oncoming traffic” on the A146 near Loddon, Norfolk, on September 26 last year.

Norwich Crown Court

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Bankhardt is on trial at Norwich Crown Court(Image: PA)

The barrister said that Bankhardt, of Saxon Road, Great Yarmouth, “ensured that none of them were wearing seatbelts” in the Vauxhall Astra car. “The result was a serious collision involving multiple vehicles,” he said.

Mr Rose said that “the prosecution say this was a deliberate collision as a result of a decision taken by Mr Bankhardt, no doubt in something of a heightened state of emotion, to take his own life and that of” the three children.

He said that no lives were lost but “serious injuries were caused in this collision”.

Bankhardt denies three counts of attempted murder and is on trial. He also denies three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, with two of these in respect of two of the three children who were in his car, and the third count in respect of a man.

Norfolk Police said at the time of the incident that the driver of another car was treated for injuries after the crash. Bankhardt also denies a seventh count, of dangerous driving.

The prosecutor said that Bankhardt drove up and down a stretch of the A146 for about two hours before the crash, “turning around at roundabouts and retracing his route”.

He said the collision happened at 8.33pm on the Loddon bypass where the speed limit is 60mph. The vehicle’s dashcam indicated it was travelling at about 74mph before the collision, the barrister said.

Mr Rose said Bankhardt is expected to say the incident was “just a terrible accident” and he “didn’t intend to kill either himself” or the three children.

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The trial, anticipated to last around two weeks with the possibility of running into a third week, continues.