A widow who caused a three-car pile-up which left one man dead has been cleared of causing death by dangerous driving ‘by reason of insanity’.

Jill Higgins, 54, had been driving on the M25 at 127mph when she crashed her Range Rover Evoque into a Ford C-Max and a Vauxhall Corsa on September 23 2017.

Driver Daniel Dayalan, 60, died from multiple injuries caused by the crash, while his wife Niromi Dayalan, who was sitting in the front seat, was left seriously hurt.

Dashcam footage of the incident revealed Higgins to be driving erratically before the incident, causing other motorists to take evasive action, prosecutor Michelle Heeley said.

She told the Old Bailey the defendant was ‘out of control’ shortly before the collision near Enfield, in North London.

Higgins’ Range Rover first collided with the Ford C-Max before careering into Mr Dayalan’s Corsa, forcing it into a concrete wall in the central reservation.

Ms Heeley said there was no dispute that Higgins’ driving was dangerous and caused the injuries to the Dayalans, but said the real issue was Higgins’ state of mind at the time.

Higgins, of Warrington, Cheshire, was admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act after the crash after being deemed to be ‘behaving oddly’.

In a later interview with police, she said she had been experiencing difficulties since her husband died through illness.

Two psychiatrists concluded that, at the time of the collision, she was suffering from ‘an episode of mania with psychotic symptoms’.

Andrew Nuttall, defending, said Ms Higgins’ health had improved but she was ‘traumatised’ by what had taken place.

He added that she felt some responsibility ‘even though she didn’t know what she was doing at the time’.

Higgins was found not guilty of death by dangerous driving and causing injury by dangerous driving by reason of insanity, a court official confirmed.

She was handed a two-year supervision order.

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