(TELEGRAPH) — A former airline pilot murdered his wife by crashing their car into a tree after the passenger airbag had been turned off, a court has heard.

Iain Lawrence, 53, was consumed by “greed, anger and possibly jealousy” after his wife, Sally, the managing director of a cleaning company, left him and found another man, it was alleged.

A court heard that he adopted the brace position as he drove the Peugeot 406 off a sharp bend into a tree, ensuring that the front passenger side took the most impact.

Mrs Lawrence, 47, had been “fearful he might do something to her” and had told friends she would not get into a car with him “unless forced or tricked”, the court was told.