Oadby 'airbag' car crash murderer Iain Lawrence appeal fails
A former pilot who murdered his wife by driving his car into a tree has failed in an appeal to clear his name.
Iain Lawrence, 54, was jailed for 24 years for killing Sally Lawrence, in Oadby, Leicestershire, in October 2012.
London's Criminal Appeal Court was told that a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis supported his claim that he crashed due to a leg spasm.
Lord Justice Pitchford said Lawrence's medical report did not suggest his condition caused leg spasms.
The former airline pilot crashed his Peugeot 406, in which the passenger airbag had been disabled, into a tree at 52mph (84km/h) by the side of Gartree Road, Oadby, on 6 October 2012.
His 47-year-old wife, with whom he had been locked in divorce negotiations, suffered fatal injuries.
During his trial, Lawrence said his leg had gone into "full-blown" spasm at the time of the crash, sending an "excruciating" pain down to his toes.
His lawyers argued that had jurors known he had multiple sclerosis, they might have taken a different view of his plea that he accidentally crashed the car.
The report described how Lawrence's symptoms started two to three years ago and his mobility was so bad he used a walking frame and sometimes a wheelchair.
Dismissing the appeal, the judge said: "This medical report does not make any reference to leg spasms, nor does it attempt to address the circumstances of the accident and explain how the current diagnosis might have been relevant to the issues with which the jury had to deal."