A Suffolk father-of-two died after a car driven by his wife mounted a pavement and struck him after a row, a court has heard.

Suzanne Knox had been out looking for her 30-year-old husband Anthony Knox and had their two young children in the car when she saw him sitting on a kerb near a local pub, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Knox, 25, had driven the family's Renault Scenic into Woods Loke East in Lowestoft and had allegedly turned the steering wheel sharply to the left and collided with her husband who was sitting against a fence with his legs in the road.

Knox later told police that she hadn't intended to hit her husband and claimed she had driven on to the kerb to park and speak to him. She said she hadn't realised she had hit him until she got out out of the car.

The court heard that Knox, who was described by witnesses as 'hysterical' had called the emergency services and 30-year-old Mr Knox was rushed to the James Paget Hospital in Lowestoft under a police escort. However despite the efforts of paramedics at the scene and doctors at the hospital he died several hours later. A post mortem examination found he had suffered multiple rib fractures, internal bleeding and collapsed lungs and died of compressive chest injuries.

Suzanne Knox, 25, of Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, has denied causing her husband's death by dangerous driving on September 21 but has admitted a less serious charge of causing his death by careless driving.

Christopher Paxton, prosecuting, said that on the evening in question Knox had been anxious to find her husband and had gone to the Norman Warrior pub in Lowestoft at around 5.30pm looking for him.

After being told by staff she had just missed him she had driven off and spotted him sitting on the pavement in Woods Loke East, which is a cul de sac.

Mr Paxton told the court that there were no witnesses to the accident but members of the public had arrived on the scene shortly afterwards. He said Knox was asked to take a breath test and this was negative.

He claimed that by turning sharply to the left and deliberately driving on to the pavement where her husband was Knox had driven dangerously although he accepted there was no 'malice' in what she did.

Knox told police after the collision she had gone looking for him because they had had a 'difficult day'' and had been arguing.

In a statement read to the court Emily George, assistant manager at the Norman Warrior pub, said Mr Knox had come in at around 5.15pm and had drunk two pints of lager and played on the fruit machines.

She said he wasn't drunk and five minutes after he left his wife had come in and said, 'Where is he?'.

She said Knox hadn't been shouting and had looked as if she was going to burst into tears.

She said Knox had asked if her husband was hiding and had then left. 'She didn't seem angry. You could tell she wanted to find him,' she said.

The trial continues.