A MOTHER told a court her 'world shattered' in the moment she discovered her husband had been killed by a drink-driver.

Widow, Cathryn Wilcox spoke as Violeta Taraskevic, who admitted causing the death of Ian Wilcox by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol, was due to be sentenced.

Taraskevic denied causing the 42-year-old's death by dangerous driving in the crash in Tonge Moor Road at around 5am on August 7 this year, but admitted the alternative offence.

RELATED STORY: Violeta Taraskevic pleads guilty to causing death of Ian Wilcox in crash on Tonge Moor Road this year

Mrs Wilcox told Bolton Crown Court about the events leading up to the crash in which her husband of 13 years and father of her two children was killed.

She said that she left for a night shift at work on August 6 and gave him a 'brief kiss at the door',

She said: "How was I know to know this would be the last time I would see my wonderful husband?

"I heard the news on the radio relating to a fatal crash in Bolton. I called Ian as I would normally. He didn't answer."

Mrs Wilcox then arrived at her home in Harwood to find a police car waiting outside.

She said: "A police officer then broke the news. Ian had died at the hands of a drink-driver.

"My world was shattered in that single moment.

"My first thought was how on earth do I tell our girls that their daddy has died?"

"I felt frightened to see them and look at them as I was about to break their hearts."

Mrs Wilcox broke the news to their two young daughters and said that the next days passed by in a blur.

She said: "Our lives without Ian will without a doubt never be the same."

Taraskevic wept in the dock as Mrs Wilcox addressed the court.

David Lees, prosecuting, told the court how Taraskevic was behind the wheel of her husband's BMW 530, that she had only driven twice before.

After finishing work the previous night at around 10pm she went to a friend's house to pick up her husband but he was asleep and had been drinking.

Rather than waking him, Taraskevic decided to stay and socialise and drank two large bottles of cider before starting to drink water.

The couple left the house shortly before 5am and drove towards their home, about two-and-a-half miles away.

They were around 1.6 miles from their home when the head-on collision between the BMW and Mr Wilcox's Chevrolet Matiz happened.

It is estimated Taraskevic was driving at between 40 and 50mph and, due to the wet conditions and the bend in the road, near Matalan, drifted into the opposite lane.

Miss Sara Haque, defending, said Taraskevic assumed the road had a 40mph speed limit and not 30mph.

She added that Taraskevic was in a state of panic after the crash.

The defendant was not breathalysed until around 7.50am and gave a reading of 68 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

Judge Timothy Stead adjourned the sentencing for a back calculation to be carried out on the reading.

If someone is more than twice over the drink-driving limit they can face a longer prison sentence than if they are beneath that limit.

The case was adjourned until October 4 to calculate how far over the limit Taraskevic would have been when the crash happened.

Earlier in the day, judge Stead said that it was 'inevitable' Taraskevic would face an immediate custodial sentence when she is sentenced.