A pensioner knocked down a cyclist 'without knowing' and carried on driving.
Maureen Jesper admitted to causing the death of Jacqui Witham by careless or inconsiderate driving. The 88-year-old was spared jail yesterday.
Mum-of-two Jacqui was hit by Jesper's Renault Clio as she rode along Friday Lane in the remote village of Barston, Birmingham on January 12 last year. A court heard the collision involved two cars on a bright morning with rainwater creating a glare on the road, reports Birmingham Live.
Jesper, of Solihull, was said to have heard a "thud" as she drove along the 50mph stretch but failed to realise what happened. A short while later she discovered her wing mirror was hanging off.
Members of the public rushed to administer first aid before police and medics arrived. But Jacqui, 44, was pronounced dead having suffered catastrophic injuries.
Detectives originally believed the Nissan Juke was the only car involved in the crash. But after reviewing the CCTV they found Jesper was also involved.
Angela Hallam, prosecuting, said the crown accepted the pensioner had not realised what happened until officers arrived at her home. "Ms Jesper had no idea she had been involved," Ms Hallam said. "She was quite shocked by what she was told."
In a moving victim statement, Ms Witham's sister Julie Haye said the much-loved mum had left behind daughters Ellie and Mila. She described her sibling as "the most fun-loving, generous" mother and revealed 400 people attended her funeral.
In a previous statement, Ms Witham's parents said the "brightest light" in their lives had been "cruelly taken away". They said her two heartbroken children, aged five and eight at the time, were being comforted.
Matthew Kerruish-Jones, mitigating, said Ms Jesper - who has two sons, a stepdaughter and a number of grandchildren - had accepted she was driving without care. He said she was deeply remorseful and wished to issue a public apology to members of Ms Witham's family.
Mr Kerruish-Jones said Ms Jesper's culpability was low and asked the judge to consider the lowest form of penalty. He said that while her failure to see the cyclist was careless, she was driving at a relatively low speed of 36mph with her vision impacted by glare that created a shadow on the verge.
The court heard Jesper had lived a settled life but lost her husband to Alzheimer's disease after several years of looking after him. Family members had provided character references but Mr Kerruish-Jones said many of her friends had passed away.
Mr Kerruish-Jones described his client as being of exemplary character with no previous convictions. He said she had entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.
"Many people's lives have forever been altered," Mr Kerruish-Jones said. "She is genuinely remorseful. This is a lady who comes to court who has lived a life of hard work and graft and has never been in trouble before."
Jesper was disqualified for driving for ten years with Mr Kerruish-Jones saying she was unlikely to ever drive again. She was ordered to pay costs of £459.
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