Gary HartTHE parents of a Trowbridge train driver killed in the Selby rail disaster have hit out after the man who caused the crash claimed he had suffered as much as they had.

In a documentary screened as part of the BBC's One Life series on Tuesday, 40-year-old Gary Hart spoke of the effect the crash and his subsequent jail sentence have had on his life.

Stephen Dunn, 39, was one of 10 people killed when the Freightliner coal train he was driving was struck by a passenger train derailed after hitting the Land Rover driven by Hart, which had careered onto the track moments before.

His mother, Patricia, of Pitman Avenue, said: "We watched the programme but we were so angry there were moments when we wanted to walk out of the room.

"He comes across as so arrogant. He is only doing this for the publicity he will get and I feel so angry he will make money out of this."

The programme revealed Hart's plans to write a book about his experiences.

In the programme he said: "They (the victims' families) are always going to feel anger and I want them to know that I've suffered just the same as them.

"Maybe not because I have lost anybody, but I don't think you need to lose somebody to empathise with them to know how they feel."

The father-of-four was jailed for five years in January 2002 after being convicted of 10 counts of dangerous driving but released after serving just half that time.

The court heard Hart had fallen asleep at the wheel and lost control of the car before the crash in 2001, a claim he continues to deny.

He discovered a passion for art in prison and passed a GCSE and A-level and now plans to continue his studies at a Welsh university.