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<\/div>London – An elderly motorist sent to prison for killing a woman when he mistook the accelerator for the brake has died just nine days after starting his sentence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
William Heagren, 87, was jailed for more than two years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.<\/p>\n
He had reversed his Ford Fusion at speed as he tried to park in a Sainsbury\u2019s car park, smashing into Jeanette Newman, 64, and her friend Sarah Taylor, 53.<\/p>\n
Miss Newman suffered serious head injuries and died the next day while Mrs Taylor was left with life-changing injuries. The crash came minutes after Heagren had bumped his car on a bollard, which left him \u2018raging\u2019 with himself for \u2018being a bloody fool\u2019, a court was told.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Heagren, of Harrow, north-west London, who attended court using a walking frame, was sent to prison on December 5 but died on December 14. It is understood that he had a heart attack at Wormwood Scrubs Prison in west London.<\/p>\n
His barrister, David Wood, had asked a judge to suspend the pensioner\u2019s sentence, saying Heagren had a broken hip and was \u2018at a stage in his life when even a minor fall could kill him\u2019. <\/p>\n
He pointed to medical evidence from a GP which said \u2018incarceration in a new environment could result in hospital admission for a life-threatening illness\u2019. But Judge Lana Wood said he must go straight to prison. Miss Newman\u2019s partner, Andrew Roberts, 58, who has been fighting for a compulsory practical test for all drivers when they turn 70, said police had told him of Heagren\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
He said yesterday: \u2018There are no winners in this situation. I said at the time he was jailed that he may not come out of prison, but I was still surprised by the news. I am a broken man since Jeanette was so violently taken away.\u2019<\/p>\n
In May last year Heagren\u2019s wife, Marie, drove the couple to the supermarket in South Ruislip, west London to buy a present, Harrow Crown Court heard.<\/p>\n
CCTV footage showed Mrs Heagren get out of the car leaving her husband to park it, but he collided with a bollard. <\/p>\n
Heagren then reversed the automatic vehicle at maximum reverse speed \u2013 19mph \u2013 narrowly missing a father who had to pull his children out of the way.<\/p>\n
His car then hit Miss Newman and Mrs Taylor, carrying them towards a bollard, which stopped the car after it had travelled around 100ft. <\/p>\n
Miss Newman suffered skull, facial and rib fractures as well as a punctured lung and a blood clot on the brain. Mrs Taylor sustained prolapsed discs and a hip injury and now has hearing and swallowing problems. She also suffered a stroke linked to the accident.<\/p>\n
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A collision investigator said the accident was a result of driver error and was \u2018a classic case of pedal confusion\u2019.<\/p>\n
Mr Wood, in mitigation, said Heagren was a \u2018thoroughly decent man\u2019 who has been \u2018crushed\u2019 by what happened.<\/p>\n
But the judge said: \u2018Although the conditions he faces are serious, the GP letter doesn\u2019t amount in itself to exceptional reasons. This case has caused me anxiety. 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.\u2019 <\/p>\n
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Heagren, who also admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, was jailed for 27 months. <\/p>\n
Currently, motorists who turn 70 must fill in a form sent by the DVLA to renew their licence for three years.<\/p>\n
Mr Roberts wrote to Boris Johnson, his local MP, in the summer about mandatory practical tests for all drivers when they reach 70, but Mr Johnson said: \u2018The Government does not have plans to alter the rules.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Daily Mail
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