Grandma admits crash which killed 81-year-old

A grandmother who knocked over an 81-year-old woman in a busy car park just before Christmas and caused her fatal injuries has been given a suspended sentence.

Linda Hall, 64, admitted causing the death of Rita Grimshaw, who was born in Teesside and lived in Whitley Bay, by careless driving following a collision at Silverlink Retail Park on 22 December last year.

District Judge Paul Currer, sitting at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court, sentenced her on the basis it was a "momentary lapse" in her driving.

Hall was sentenced to 15 weeks in jail, with the judge noting her early guilty plea and suspending the term for 12 months.

Jade Houston, prosecuting, said on the night of the crash it was dark, traffic was crawling and the car park was busy when Grimshaw crossed the road near the Marks and Spencer outlet at about 17:00 GMT.

Hall, from Seghill in Northumberland, was travelling at less than 5mph when she pulled out, having looked both ways, but did not see the former teacher on the road, the court heard.

Her Renault Captur hit the elderly woman, who fell to the ground and went under the car, causing pelvic injuries from which she died the next day.

A probation officer told the court Hall, a business support manager who had become a grandmother weeks before the collision, was profoundly affected by the incident.

They said her mental health was fragile and she felt she did not deserve to be happy.

Michael Gibson, defending, said Hall "cannot push it out of her mind".

The judge said both Hall and Grimshaw were Christmas shopping and the car park was "very busy".

CCTV showed Hall was driving slowly before the collision, but when she made a right turn she failed to see Grimshaw, which may have been due to a blind spot in the car, he said.

Currer said Grimshaw had done "nothing wrong" and called it a "momentary lapse" in Hall's driving which had a "traumatic and devastating" outcome.

He added the driver had led a "blameless life thus far" and had never been before the courts before.

Hall was banned from driving for 12 months and must pay £85 prosecution costs and a £154 surcharge.

After passing sentence, the judge addressed Grimshaw's widower at the back of the court, extending his condolences.

He replied: "It has been a traumatic year.

"Thank you."

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