Last updated at 00:28am on 2nd June 2007

The family of a couple allegedly killed by a Briton taking part in a road race across Europe yesterday urged a court to clear him.

They told a judge that Nicholas Morley had not caused the fatal crash during the Gumball 3000 rally last month, and said he should be allowed to go home.

Morley, 30, was driving a Porsche 911 through Macedonia in the 3,000-mile supercar race when it collided at a crossroads with a Volkswagen Golf.

The driver of the Golf, Vladimir Chepunyoski, 67, died, along with his wife Margit, 65.

Morley, a property developer from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, fled the scene, but was arrested at the Macedonian-Albanian border in a car belonging to another contestant.

He faces 14 years in jail if convicted of causing serious danger to people and property through bad driving which resulted in death. He denies the charge. The court in Struga, southern Macedonia, heard that Morley was driving at 100mph on a road with a 40mph limit.

But Morley claimed he had been driving within the limit.

He said: "The Golf drove into the road suddenly and I could not avoid the crash, although I tried to turn left. I could not see him on time as he did not stop at the crossroads and there were trees alongside the road."

He said he had tried to get help, but fled the scene in fear when an angry crowd gathered around him. Lawyer Gjoko Tomovski read a statement from the victims' daughter, Meri Gavroska, and Mr Chepunyoski's mother Trajanka.

It said: "We ask this court to release young Nicholas. It was ill-fate that made our son and father make that fatal mistake and join the main road without stopping his vehicle.

"We have experienced a terrible tragedy, but we feel that it would be another tragedy to keep this young man in prison.

"We think he has suffered enough and his conviction would offer no comfort to our grief."

The trial continues on Monday, when a verdict is expected.