96-Year-Old Woman, Believed to Be the Oldest Person Convicted of Causing Death by Dangerous Driving, Receives Suspended Sentence
A 96-year-old woman, thought to be the oldest person convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, has been given a suspended sentence after a tragic incident outside her bridge club.
June Mills, from Ainsdale in Merseyside, was sentenced to 18 months suspended at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday after her Vauxhall Corsa struck two pedestrians on August 2 of last year.
Mills, who can only walk short distances, pleaded guilty to causing the death of 76-year-old Brenda Joyce and injuring 80-year-old Jennifer Ensor after all three women had finished their game at a local bridge club on Elbow Lane in Formby, UK.
During sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC remarked, “On any view and from every angle, this case is an utter tragedy. Mrs. Joyce died, Mrs. Ensor was injured, and you have lost your good character and found yourself in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court.”
Prosecutor Robert Dudley explained that Mrs. Joyce and Mrs. Ensor were walking along the pavement after leaving the bridge club when the collision occurred.
Mills, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, wearing a green fleece and a tartan blanket over her knees, explained in a prepared statement that her accelerator pedal felt as if it had “dropped to the floor” while she maneuvered around a parked car, causing her to “shoot forward.”
“It all happened very quickly, and there were people in front of me, but I could not avoid hitting them because the car was going so fast. I had no control over it,” she stated.
The court learned that Mrs. Joyce’s husband did not support the prosecution. In a statement read to the court, Mrs. Ensor described suffering minor injuries, including tendon damage that prevented her from playing a full round of golf, and expressed a “sense of guilt” for surviving.
Defense attorney Tom Gent commented, “This is plainly a dreadfully sad case. Mrs. Mills is extremely sorry for what happened. The consequences will haunt her forever. She feels great shame and guilt.” He noted that Mills had surrendered her driving license following the crash and had previously engaged in voluntary work with victims of crime and young offenders, as well as housing Ukrainian refugees.
Judge Medland indicated that, with credit for Mills’ earlier guilty plea, the starting point for sentencing would be 18 months in prison. He added, “Considering the sentencing guidelines, the pre-sentence reports, and the abundance of references, it would not benefit anyone to impose an immediate sentence, nor would it be a just outcome.”
He suspended the sentence for 18 months, ordered Mills to pay a £1,500 fine and £500 in prosecution costs, and disqualified her from driving for five years.