THE man charged with killing a British couple in New York after having an epileptic fit at the wheel of a truck stopped taking his medication because it dulled the effects of alcohol, a court heard.

Auvryn Scarlett, 53, faces two counts of second degree murder over the deaths of mother-of-four Jackie Timmins, 47, and her partner, Andrew Hardie, 48.

The couple, from Yeovil, Somerset, died after the recycling vehicle mounted a kerb and crashed into them in Madison Square Garden on February 12 last year.

The New York Supreme Court heard evidence from neurologist Dr Anthony Paul Geraci who treated Scarlett. He said: "I was struck by his statement that he stopped taking the medication because it interfered with the way he wanted to drink on weekends."

Dr Geraci also told the court that the chances of having an epileptic fit are higher while the body is metabolising alcohol. The case continues.