A WEB designer whose business took a downturn due to Covid-19 tried to take his own life by driving his car into oncoming traffic.

On May 21, Jan Van Hanegem, 50, twice turned his car into the path of oncoming lorries on the A120 at Wix.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard he was driving towards Colchester when he was seen to suddenly swerve across the central white lines towards an oncoming heavy goods vehicle.

The court was told he “swiftly” turned back towards the correct side of the road and continued for around a mile, before making the dangerous manoeuvre again.

This time he did not correct his turn, instead hitting an oncoming lorry and causing a collision with a number of vehicles.

When police arrived the defendant left the scene, but was found a short time later.

The court heard Van Hanegem’s dangerous driving was an “attempt to take his own life”.

But his conduct was described as a “prolonged incident of bad driving, showing a deliberate disregard towards the safety of others”.

Van Hanegem, of Holly Bush Hill, Great Bentley, admitted a single charge of dangerous driving.

His solicitor Frank O’Toole told the court the “facts are not really in dispute”.

He said Van Hanegem had been driving for more than 30 years “without blemishes”.

“There is nothing on his licence for speeding or careless driving,” he said.

“On this occasion he was very depressed.

“His business had taken a bit of a dip because of Covid, he’s a web designer and as a result of that things were not going very well.

“Because of those circumstances he was in, he became depressed.

“He felt there was no way out.

“Unfortunately, what he did was unbelievable, because he put other people, as the prosecution say, other road users, in danger.

“Whatever motive he had, it is irrelevant in the overall context of the offence he has committed.”

But Mr O’Toole said a psychiatric report and a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service would assist a crown court judge in sentencing his client.

Magistrates imposed an interim driving ban and released Van Hanegem on unconditional bail until a sentencing hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 13.