A PENSIONER has been found guilty of causing a crash which left an 83-year-old pedestrian with fatal injuries.

Janet Chapman was driving out of Stanfield Road, Poole, into Herbert Avenue when she hit Mary Wallwork at the puffin crossing at 7.45pm on February 19, 2014. Mrs Wallwork was thrown up onto the bonnet and suffered fatal head injuries.

At Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday a jury found 68-year-old Chapman guilty of causing death by careless driving after two-and-a-half hours of deliberations.

The court heard the defendant was living in a care home and using a wheel chair as a result of her ill health, which limited the sentencing options available to the judge. Also, it was said that she was unlikely to ever drive again.

Imposing a six month community order with a curfew requirement, as well as a one year driving ban, Judge Peter Crabtree OBE said: “It goes without saying that this is a serious matter. It is a tragic case also.”

He said the crash had arisen from “momentary ill attention” and that Chapman had also “suffered” as a result of the crash, but added: “Punishment is appropriate even when the lapse is momentary. This is not in any way a reflection of the value of Mrs Wallwork’s life, that is inestimable.”

During the trial the defendant had claimed that she was driving cautiously and slowly, and couldn’t account for why she had not seen the victim before the collision.

However the prosecution argued that she was preoccupied with making it out of Stanfield Road and wasn’t paying enough attention to pedestrians using the crossing.

In mitigation, Alex Stein said his client was “genuinely remorseful” despite contesting the case. “She is in a wheelchair, she is in a care home, it is not expected that she will ever come out of the home,” he said.

A probation officer said Chapman, of Florence Road, Bournemouth, did not meet the requirements for a rehabilitation programme and was unsuitable for unpaid work.

She was banned from driving for one year, and ordered to pay the Crown’s costs of £750.