A MOTORIST who fell asleep at the wheel has admitted causing the death of a boxing coach by dangerous driving.

Trevor Thompson, who was his son Gary's coach, was dragged out of the wrecked BMW on the M6 near Rugby, but died in hospital from his injuries.

The crash at 2am on February 18 happened as they were heading back their home in Darwen after a fight in London.

Yesterday Warwick Crown Court was told that the crash happened because van driver David Billingsley had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Although the case was listed only for a preliminary hearing, Billingsley, 49, of Redhill Road, Northfield, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to causing 65-year-old Mr Thompson's death by dangerous driving.

Gary Thompson had lost a light-heavyweight bout at the Wembley arena on a bill which also included headliner Amir Khan and former Olympic heavyweight champion Audley Harrison.

Neil Banister, prosecuting, said it was the crown's case that Billingsley, who was on his way home after working for a utility firm at a Tesco store in Northamptonshire, had fallen asleep at the wheel.

At the scene Billingsley indicated to a police officer that he had fallen asleep, although when he was later interviewed Billingsley denied making that comment.

But his barrister Simon Ward told the court: "He accepts he must have fallen asleep."

Asking for the case to be adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, Mr Ward said: "Mr Billingsley knows he is almost inevitably going to have to serve a custodial sentence."

Judge Trevor Faber adjourned the case until October for the report to be prepared, and granted Billingsley bail.

But the judge warned him: "I am, of course, in renewing your bail and asking for a pre-sentence report, not giving you any indication at all as to sentence. This is plainly a very serious incident."