A 22-YEAR-OLD student from Germany wept in court as she apologised for causing an accident in which a toddler was killed.

Anke Sterzel, whose address in court was given as Park View, Skipton, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention on December 23 last year.

Skipton magistrates heard on Wednesday that her car collided with a Peugeot waiting to turn right at the A59 Halton East junction. The Peugeot, driven by Jonathan Lloyd of Embsay, was pushed into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Mr Lloyd's daughter Robyn, aged two, a back seat passenger, was killed. Her brother Thomas and sister Christi were seriously injured.

Michael Hammond, prosecuting, said the accident happened at 5.43pm. Sterzel, who was driving behind Mr Lloyd, failed to see the Peugeot waiting to turn right. She collided with the back of it causing it to jump forward into the path of the oncoming vehicle.

Mr Hammond said that Mr Lloyd had described "a big force from behind" pushing him across the road.

Julian White said it mitigation that it was a devastating and catastrophic accident and Sterzel fully accepted that it was her fault.

"She will have to learn to live with it for the rest of her life. It is a tragedy," he said.

He said that Sterzel was a German national, of good character, who had been driving for four years. She had been teaching German at St Ermysted's Grammar School and had stayed in the area to face the consequences of her actions.

Mr White said that driving conditions had been bad and that the stretch of road was treacherous. Sterzel had not been drinking and she was not speeding.

"Momentarily, she looked away and she didn't see the vehicle preparing to turn right," he said.

Sterzel told the court: "I want to express my condolences and I am very sorry for all this."

Presiding magistrate Roger Hill said he was sentencing Sterzel for the degree of carelessness, not the consequences of that carelessness.

The court took into consideration her guilty plea and limited means. She was fined £100, ordered to pay £45 prosecution costs and her licence was endorsed with six penalty points.