A lorry driver accused of causing the death of a father and his two daughters and seriously injuring three other family members in a motorway pile-up has been remanded in custody after his bail was cancelled.

Juraj Orsula’s lawyer had applied for bail, conditional on residence in the UK and not allowing foreign travel, to be varied so that he could return to his home country of Slovakia to work.

But after being told by Adrian Rohard, defending, that 46-year-old Orsula had been staying with his son in Ely, Cambridge and the address was no longer available to him, Judge Jeremy Carey remanded him in custody.

Orsula was appearing for a preliminary hearing at Maidstone Crown Court today.

He is charged with causing the death of French national Michael Akande, 54, and his daughters, Mary, 16, and Helen, 22, on the M26 near Sevenoaks just after 9.30am on April 16 last year.

He is also accused of causing serious injury by dangerous driving to John Carroll and his two sons, aged four and seven.

Mr Akande's daughters, both students, died at the scene of the crash involving several vehicles. Mr Arkande, a religious speaker, died from his injuries two weeks later.

Judge Carey described the injuries to Mr Carroll and his sons as “grievous”. Mr Carroll and his wife Jessica had been travelling in a Mini with the two boys on a day out.

They were living in Sittingbourne at the time but have since moved to Maidstone.

A total of eight people needed hospital treatment after the accident involving two lorries, two cars and a van.

The judge said there was a “shunting” of the vehicles and tragic consequences. The maximum sentence for one offence of causing death by dangerous driving, he said, was 14 years imprisonment.

The charges were not put to Orsula following a request by Mr Rohard, who said he wanted to obtain expert evidence.

Married Orsula will return to court on March 18 to enter pleas. A provisional trial date was set for September 14 but Judge Carey indicated he would try to bring the date forward.

Mr Rohard had said Orsula was “caught between a rock and a hard place” because police had his identification document which prevented him from working in this country and he was not allowed to return to Slovakia to find employment.

Inquests into the three deaths were due to take place at Tunbridge Wells Coroner’s Court, in Crescent Road, in July, but these have since been postponed.

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