Cannabis-fuelled van driver kills 94-year-old woman - before accelerating over her body

Edgaras Kondratas failed to spot Sylvia Bentley and backed his Mercedes Sprinter van into the pistillate arsenic she walked location successful Weymouth, Dorset, and she sustained "catastrophic" injuries

A van operator precocious connected cannabis reversed his vehicle into a 94-year-old pistillate and killed her - earlier accelerating implicit her body.

Edgaras Kondratas, 40, had not checked his reversing camera due to the fact that it was "uncomfortable" to look at, backing his Mercedes Sprinter van into Sylvia Bentley arsenic a result. But alternatively than stopping his van to get retired to cheque what happened, Kondratas past drove guardant implicit her body, a court heard.

Ms Bentley, who was 2 weeks distant from turning 95, suffered "catastrophic" injuries and prosecutors said determination was "nothing connected this earth" that could person saved her. And present Kondratas, who is Lithuanian, has been convicted of causing decease by driving without owed attraction and attraction whilst implicit the specified bounds for a controlled drug. He volition beryllium sentenced astatine a aboriginal day astatine Winchester Crown Court.

The assemblage was told Kondratas, who was collecting covering donations for charity, realised helium had deed thing but helium drove guardant earlier stopping the car to get retired and cheque what had happened. He could past beryllium seen connected the broadside cameras of the van calling the constabulary and telling them helium had killed someone.

The prosecution said helium had not done the indispensable checks to guarantee it was harmless to reverse. The driver, of Southampton, had not checked his reversing camera due to the fact that it was "uncomfortable" to look at. The tribunal heard that Kondratas was besides implicit the bounds for cannabis with 2.8 micrograms successful a litre of his humor and helium told constabulary helium had consumed the cause the nighttime earlier The ineligible bounds is 2 micrograms per litre of blood.

Kondratas had besides been driving for 7 hours astatine the clip helium deed Mrs Bentley, having started his displacement astatine 5.30am. The collision happened arsenic Mrs Bentley attempted to locomotion location successful Weymouth, Dorset, astatine astir 12.30pm.

Charles Gabb, prosecuting, said: "[Mrs Bentley's] decease was wholly avoidable, determination is lone 1 idiosyncratic liable and that is the defendant," Mr Gabb said. "The suspect reversed his Mercedes Sprinter van without decently checking it was harmless to reverse and this aged woman was successful a unsighted spot down his van.

"As helium reversed helium struck her, she ne'er heard it coming due to the fact that determination was nary beeping noise. The suspect realised thing was wrong, helium realised helium whitethorn person deed thing truthful helium stopped but alternatively of getting retired to look helium drove guardant and arsenic helium drove guardant helium drove implicit Mrs Bentley.

"She suffered catastrophic caput injuries and she died determination and then, it was a tragic country for this aged lady. In galore ways 1 could accidental that was the lone bully happening astir it, Mrs Bentley did not endure immoderate more."

Mr Gabb explained that due to the fact that it has nary rear model the van had 2 broadside cameras and a rear camera arsenic good arsenic reversing sensors, though these were not moving connected the time Mrs Bentley died. He added: "[The defendant] goes to the rear of his van and his confronted with the world of what happened, helium instantly realised that this person, this assemblage successful the road, was dead. That caused the suspect to beryllium distressed, we tin spot him calling the constabulary and telling them helium had killed someone. [The van] was fitted with reversing sensors but they were not working, each the much crushed to absorption attraction connected the camera.

"It is blindingly evident helium should person looked into the camera to cognize whether it was harmless to reverse oregon not. The bittersweet world is the suspect did not cheque the camera, what was his excuse for not checking the camera? It was uncomfortable. That is simply a implicit non-starter, adjacent if it was uncomfortable determination is nary excuse for failing to bash it. The constabulary went to the scene, it seems they got determination earlier the paramedics, and everyone realised that thing connected this world could prevention her."

Speaking to the jury, helium added: "This woman should ne'er person died connected that day, her decease is his responsibility." Kondratas is owed to beryllium sentenced astatine a aboriginal date.