BBC1
In the space of a few seconds on a snowy night in February 2001, Gary Hart was transformed from anonymous builder to one of Britain’s most notorious killers.
When his Land Rover swerved off the M62 onto the East Coast main line, the father-of-four single-handedly caused the Selby rail crash, killing ten people and leaving a trail of destruction costing an estimated £40 million.
At his trial, prosecutors claimed he’d fallen asleep at the wheel of his car, after spending most of the night swapping e-mails with his new girlfriend. The jury agreed and found him guilty of ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed - and banned from driving - for five years.
Since then, he’s been demonised by the tabloids and criticised by his victims’ relatives – who are convinced he’s an arrogant and heartless killer, who refuses to apologise for the carnage and heartache he caused, or to admit responsibility for the crash.
But who is the real Gary Hart and what does he think and feel about the tragedy? What impact has it had on his life – and what’s it like to be catapulted from anonymity to nationwide notoriety overnight?
Our cameras had exclusive access to Hart from the day he left prison to the day he began a new life as a fine art student in Wales.
As he left prison, we were at his side. When he raced home playing a game of cat-and-mouse with photographers and journalists, we were with him. When he went on a train alone for the first time, and when he returned to the scene of the crash to offer his version of the unvarnished truth, we were there.