A former youth football coach and scout whose car crashed into a tree on the day he was due to go on trial on historical sex abuse charges took his own life, a coroner concluded.
Michael 'Kit' Carson, 75, had denied 12 counts of indecent assault and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The allegations related to 11 boys under the age of 16 between 1978 and 2009.
Carson's trial was due to start at Peterborough Crown Court on January 7, but he died when his Mazda 3 drove off the A1303 at Bottisham, seven miles east of Cambridge. No other vehicles were involved.
Assistant Cambridgeshire Coroner Simon Milburn recorded a verdict of suicide at the Huntingdon inquest on Monday.
Mr Milburn said Carson had deliberately steered into the tree and "intending to take his own life."
There was no evidence of any "avoiding action" before the vehicle hit the tree.
Carson thought he was due in court on January 9 and only realised on the morning of January 7 he was required to attend, the inquest heard.
His wife, Pauline, said in a statement he was "concerned because he was running late."
She described him as "stressed and confused" once he realised he needed to get to court. But his barrister had told him there was no rush.
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He died at the scene of a traumatic brain injury. There was no evidence of speeding, nor was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the coroner heard.
Furthermore, the vehicle had no mechanical faults and he was wearing his seat belt and the airbags had deployed.
The coroner added that there had been no medical emergency or natural conditions that had contributed to his death.
PC Sean Redman, the crash investigator, said he could find no evidence of skidding. The weather at the time was calm and overcast with "good" visibility.
Carson, from Cambridge, had worked at Norwich City, Peterborough United and Cambridge United. He had been on bail at the time of his death.
During his career, he reportedly had tried to sign footballer David Beckham for Norwich City while working as a youth scout and coach.
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