A pensioner hit a mum-of-two who was cycling along a country lane without noticing. A court heard that Maureen Jesper, 88, heard a "thud" as she drove along the 50mph stretch of road, but did not realise what had happened.
On Monday she was spared jail after admitting causing the death of Jacqui Witham by careless of inconsiderate driving. Jesper struck the 46-year-old mum-of-two with her Renault Clio as she rode along a lane in the village of Barston, West Midlands, on January 12 last year.
Birmingham Magistrates' Court heard that it was a bright morning, with rainwater causing glare from the road, when the collision involving two cars took place. Jesper, of Sambourn Close, Solihull, only heard a "thud" before discovering a short time later that her wing mirror was hanging off, reports BirminghamLive.
Footage from a nearby estate later showed an injured Ms Witham trying to get up, before she was hit by a second car, a Nissan Juke. Its driver stopped immediately and was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Passers-by tried to help with first aid at the scene before police and medics got there. Despite their efforts, Ms Witham was pronounced dead.
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."
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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 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 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.
