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A cocaine-loving driver who had no licence or insurance has admitting killing a mother in a car crash before fleeing the scene.
Claire Laybourne, 39, died following the collision between her Volkswagen T-Roc and a Skoda Fabia driven by Ryan Scott, 28, on the A19 at Holystone, North Tyneside, on December 5 last year.
Scott fled the scene before emergency services arrived and found Ms Laybourne with serious injuries, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
The mother, from Hebburn, was rushed to hospital, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, she passed away the following day.
Scott, of Chasedale Crescent, Blyth, pleaded guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed and uninsured and causing serious injury to another woman by dangerous driving.
However, he denied charges in relation to causing death while over the limit for drugs.
Prosecutors are unable to proceed with charges of him causing death while over the limit for cocaine, as it cannot be proved if he took the drugs before or after the collision due to the delay of his arrest after he fled the scene.
Scott will be sentenced on February 23 and has been further remanded in custody in the meantime.
Claire Laybourne, 39, from Hebburn, was seriously injured in the collision and passed away in hospital the following day
Cocaine-loving Ryan Scott, 28, of Chasedale Crescent, Blyth, pleaded guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed and uninsured and causing serious injury to another woman by dangerous driving
Emergency services attended the scene and rushed Ms Laybourne to the hospital with serious injuries where she passed away the following day
Judge Penny Moreland told him: ‘I’m directing a pre-sentence report to assist the judge that sentences you.
‘You understand, the inevitable sentence is a lengthy sentence of immediate custody.
‘The purpose of the report is to go to any issues of risk or danger you pose and to assist your counsel to prepare her mitigation.
‘Please don’t be under any illusions, however, about the sentence you will receive.’
Ms Laybourne’s devastated family previously paid tribute to the ‘beautiful soul’ who they will miss ‘beyond words’.
In a statement, they said: ‘Claire was a beautiful soul whose kindness, warmth, and gentle strength touched everyone she met.
‘She was an extraordinary mother, a devoted partner, a cherished daughter, a loving auntie, and a loyal friend.
‘Her presence lit up every room, and her love held our family together in ways words can never truly capture.
‘Our hearts are broken, and our lives have been changed beyond anything we could have imagined.
‘The depth of our grief is matched only by the depth of the love we carry for her. We will miss her beyond what words are able to portray.’