THE man who caused the deaths of ten people in the Selby rail disaster was released from prison today.

Gary Hart, 38, was expected to return to the Lincolnshire area on his release, to remain on licence and under supervision until October next year.

He had served half of the five-year sentence he received in January, 2002, after being convicted of ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving at Great Heck in February 2001.

Margitta Needham, from Pocklington, whose husband, Barry, was killed in the crash, said she is determined to continue raising awareness of the pain and suffering caused by road tragedies.

She said: "Hart is of no interest to me. I have turned my back on him. I don't think about him, but what I think is important is the law and how it affects all of us."

She added: "When our loved ones are killed that is horrific enough, but then when we feel let down by the law and the leniency, it's almost an insult towards the people that we have lost.

"But life goes on and you try to be strong and make the best out of life in memory of that person and for yourself. I will continue speaking out to raise awareness and educate people about dangerous driving and sleep-deprived driving."

Survivor Mark Russell, 40, of Monkgate, York, who escaped the crash with leg and back injuries, said: "All he has done is a couple of years in prison. Now he's free and does whatever he wants, but the ten people he killed can't and neither can their families.

"It only feels like yesterday and I would imagine it's like that for most people affected by the rail crash. It feels like he's had no punishment whatsoever."

Ten people died in February, 2001, when a London GNER express collided with Hart's Land Rover after it plunged off the M62 at Great Heck.

The passenger train then collided with an oncoming coal train.

Updated: 10:28 Monday, July 12, 2004