An elderly driver has admitted causing the death of a woman after his car crashed into a coffee shop on Christmas Eve last year.

David Lord, who denied causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing, today changed his plea to guilty at Maidstone Crown Court.

VIDEO: David Lord admits killing Valerie Deakin

The 87-year-old was arrested and charged after Valerie Deakin, 74, was killed when his Audi A4 smashed through a window at Costa Coffee in Westerham.

The married mother-of-two, from Rye, east Sussex, was sitting near the window in Market Square at about 10.30am with her best friend when the tragedy happened. Her daughter Marie-Ann was in the toilets at the time.

Lord, of Croydon Road, Westerham, and his passenger were among five people injured in the crash which left the car embedded in the side of the building.

Eye witnesses reported seeing people covered in blood as they left the cafe.

At today's hearing, prosecutor Ian Hope said the only sensible explanation for the tragedy was that Lord hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

He said it seemed Lord had not been truthful after the crash. He at first claimed he saw a flashing red light on the dashboard, indicating a mechanical defect, but none were found.

He maintained about four weeks later that there must have been a mechanical defect because of the light.

Lord was asked repeatedly if there had been a medical episode and he denied there was.

He then claimed there was some sort of loss of consciousness, saying he blanked out, causing his driving to be erratic.

He added he came to and tried to manoeuvre into bollards but ended up crashing into the cafe.

Mr Hope said Lord now sought to rely on having a “partial complex seizure”.

It was clear from CCTV footage the car was being driven in a way so that it would not collide with other vehicles.

“The red flashing light on the dashboard could never have existed,” said Mr Hope. “It does appear the flashing light was not true and there was an attempt to blame the vehicle.

“So far as the medical episode he is now relying on, that was dismissed. He was asked about the medical episode and said there had not been one.

“What there would appear to have been is a gross error of judgement in that he hit the accelerator instead of the brake in a sense of panic."

"Mr Lord’s change of plea to guilty has been a great relief to my family" - Ms Deakin's family

Judge Jeremy Carey said: “We otherwise have an 87-year-old man with an impeccable character and good driving record. Then suddenly on Christmas Eve last year this vehicle moves in this calamitous way.

“If ever there was a case where there is to be absolute clarity on the part of the judge when the defendant is being sentenced, this is it. That is the least we owe to the victim in this case.”

Judge Carey said a consultant neurologist was of the opinion Lord suffered, at the material time it went into the cafe, a complex partial seizure.

The prosecution, he said, could rightly be concerned about the extent to which that could be deployed in mitigation on Lord’s admitted wrongdoing.

He submitted that the flashing light was the start of the complex seizure and in his confusion he pressed down on the accelerator instead of the brake.

But the Crown stated that at the scene Lord did not make any complaint about any interlude of unconsciousness.

“Therefore, his credibility, to put it at its mildest, has to be examined closely in the context of how it has now developed,” said the judge.

They would at the very least want to have Mr Lord medically examined by a consultant neurologist.

“As a matter of generality, this kind of offence is met with a substantial custodial sentence, even if there is powerful mitigation, including the age of the defendant.

“No case is ever exactly like another and this case will be determined on its own facts. It is necessary for the sentencing judge to have a clear basis upon which the defendant is to be sentenced.”

Judge Carey adjourned sentence until the week beginning January 23 to enable the prosecution to obtain a medical report.

After the hearing, Mrs Deakin's family said in a statement: "Nothing is going to bring Val back and my family will forever grieve for the loss of a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother.

"We are aware that it is not only our family who face up to this tragedy and I can empathise with the Lord’s family tribulations.

"Mr Lord’s change of plea to guilty has been a great relief to my family and, although the adage 'forgive and forget' cannot yet be applied, we hope that in time we can forget and forgive. Val, however, will never be forgotten."

Sergeant Glyn Walker added: "David Lord’s car was rigorously checked by experts for any defects, but there were none.

"We believe he simply lost control of the vehicle by wrongly pressing the accelerator, causing it to leave the road at speed and with tragic consequences."

Shortly after Mrs Deakin's death, her husband Paul said of her: “At 10.30am on Christmas Eve, 2015, Val, my lovely wife of 50 years, was enjoying a cuppa inside the Costa Coffee café, Westerham, accompanied by her eldest daughter and best friend.

“The shock and loss are indescribable. Modest, kind, exceedingly hard working and, above all caring, she loved all creatures, great and small with a passion.

"We adored her. Rest in peace.”