A RETIRED minister reached motorway speeds on a 30mph road in Wirral before crashing and killing himself, three women and a six-year-old girl.

But Wirral coroner Christopher Johnson yesterday told an inquest he believed that, despite a lack of medical evidence, Reverend Graham Mercer must have suffered a seizure at the wheel while driving in Spital.

Rev Mercer, of Glendale Grove, in Bebington, reached an estimated speed of 76mph on Spital Road on Sunday, March 8, before he rebounded from a wall into the path of a Vauxhall Corsa carrying family and friends on a day trip.

Olivia Wood, six, of Gwersyllt, near Wrexham, died alongside her great-aunt Ann Hargreaves, 71, of Bromborough, who was driving, and her grandmother Linda Wood, 59, of Eastham.

Their friend, Joan Roden-Jones, 64, a therapist, also from Gwersyllt, died later in hospital.

The inquest at Wallasey Town Hall heard their Vauxhall Corsa was struck by Rev Mercer’s Blue Megane with such force it became airborne and span around, landing 15 metres from the point of impact.

The court heard the 73-year-old had suffered a mini stroke in 2001, but despite feeling unwell since January had been assessed as fit to drive.

His post-mortem examination did not reveal signs of any seizure at the wheel , but pathologist Dr David Agbamu said it would be possible his death had masked another mini stroke as the physical evidence of it would be temporary.

Witnesses who were on the road when he passed them, including an off-duty police officer, variously described his speed coming from the direction of the Three Stags, Bebington, as; “massively fast”, “way too fast”, “extremely fast” and “at motorway speed”.