A 96-year-old woman, believed to be the oldest person in the UK convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, received a suspended sentence after fatally injuring another woman outside a bridge club.
June Mills, from Ainsdale, Merseyside, was sentenced to 18 months suspended at Liverpool Crown Court after her Vauxhall Corsa struck two people on August 2 of last year.
Mills, who has limited mobility, admitted to causing the death of 76-year-old Brenda Joyce and injuring 80-year-old Jennifer Ensor after the three had left their local bridge club in Formby, UK.
During sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC described the case as an “utter tragedy,” saying: “Mrs. Joyce died, Mrs. Ensor was injured, and you have lost your good character, now standing in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court.”
Prosecutor Robert Dudley explained that Mrs. Joyce and Mrs. Ensor were walking along the pavement when they were hit by Mills’ vehicle.
Mills, appearing in a wheelchair and draped in a green fleece and tartan blanket, told police in a prepared statement that her accelerator pedal felt as though it had “dropped to the floor” while she was maneuvering around a parked car, causing her to “shoot forward” and strike the pedestrians.
She explained, “It all happened very quickly, and there were people in front of me, but I couldn’t avoid them because the car was going so fast. I had no control over it.”
The court also heard that Mrs. Joyce’s husband did not support the prosecution, while Mrs. Ensor, who suffered minor injuries, including tendon damage that affected her ability to play golf, expressed a “sense of guilt” for surviving.
Defending Mills, Tom Gent stated that she was deeply remorseful, saying the event would haunt her forever and that she felt immense guilt and shame. He also noted Mills’ history of voluntary work with victims of crime and young offenders and her current efforts in housing Ukrainian refugees.
With credit for her early guilty plea, Judge Medland determined that a suspended sentence was appropriate, stating that it would not be just to impose an immediate prison term. Mills was also fined £1,500, ordered to pay £500 in prosecution costs, and disqualified from driving for five years.
