By Sammie Jones-
An 87-year-old man who killed a woman after mistaking his car’s accelerator for the brake has been jailed for 27 months.
William Heagren was jailed after a court hears details of how his Ford Fusion slammed into Jeanette Newman, 64, and her friend Sarah Taylor, 53, who suffered life-changing injuries, on May 26, 2018. Heagren, who claimed to have made a genuine error, not disputed by the courts or anyone privy to the details of the case, reversed so fast that it carried the women towards a bollard, which stopped the Ford after travelling around 100ft in a Sainsbury’s car park in South Ruislip, west London.
He travelled 100 feet, slamming into Ms Newman and her friend Sarah Taylor, 53, as he tried to park his Ford Fusion in the busy car park of the Sainsbury’s on Long Drive in Ruislip .Ms Taylor suffered life-changing injuries in the tragic crash in May last year.The court heard that minutes earlier Heagren had bumped his car into a bollard and that the shunt left him “raging” with himself for “being a bloody fool”.
MEDICAL EVIDENCE
Medical evidence provided by the defence indicating that incarceration in a new environment could result in hospital admission for a life threatening illness was dismissed by the judge. The judge said: ”Although the conditions he faces are serious, the GP letter doesn’t amount in itself to exceptional reasons. I’m afraid I’m not so persuaded.”
The judge said: “The incident took place over four to five seconds and around 15 metres.
“The car was travelling at around 19mph at the point of impact. This was a clearly inappropriate speed in this environment and all the more dangerous because the vehicle was travelling backwards. The vehicle was completely out of control.”
She added: “You didn’t deliberately do it.
“In my judgement, the fact you attempted further manoeuvres before recovering from the first incident increases the seriousness of the offence. There is an aggravating factor of getting back into the car when you were still cross with yourself.”
She added: “This was a case that has caused me anxiety I have spent a considerable amount of time considering the sentence.
“It is not a sentence that I give lightly or that I would voluntarily wish to impose. However, in my judgement it is the shortest sentence I can impose.”
25 years together killed in an instant: Andrew Roberts and Jeanette Newman
BROKEN MAN
Jeanette’s surviving husband, Mr Roberts, 58, said: “I am a broken man since Jeanette was so violently and suddenly taken away.
“I take no pleasure from seeing Mr Heagren jailed.
“What needs to happen now is a change in the law on older drivers. Jeanette would have done it for me.
Image: SWNS.Com