THE widow of one of the victims of the Selby rail disaster has hit out following reports that crash driver Gary Hart is planning to write a book.

Margitta Needham, from Pocklington, was reacting after reports in a Sunday newspaper suggested that Hart planned to write about his experiences when he is freed from prison, which could be in July.

Hart, 38, was jailed for five years after the Land Rover he was driving came off the M62 on to a railway line near Great Heck in North Yorkshire, leading to a head-on collision between a passenger service and a goods train. Four railway staff and six passengers were killed. Leeds Crown Court heard that Hart had fallen asleep at the wheel, after not sleeping for 24 hours. Mrs Needham, who lost her husband Barry in the crash, told the Evening Press that the reports of Hart's book plans did not surprise her.

Mrs Needham, who is now campaigning for a change in the law to clamp down on sleep-deprived drivers, added: "I think it's really sad that there's a fascination with crime and ambivalence about criminals. I strongly feel that victims should not become invisible - that they should continue to speak out."

Hart's solicitor, John Warwick, said he could make no comment on the reports.

Updated: 10:55 Monday, March 08, 2004