Man jailed for 13 months for 'brutal' death of woman he ran over

Beryl Howard was comforted by members of the public as she lay dying

A man who killed an 83-year-old great-grandmother when he repeatedly ran over her with his van has been jailed for 13 months.

Beryl Howard suffered "unsurvivable injuries" in the "sudden and brutal" incident in Street, Somerset, in 2023, her family said.

Cannabis user Reece McKinven, 31, was jailed at Taunton Crown Court on Tuesday and banned from driving for two-and-a-half years after admitting causing death by careless driving.

Ms Howard's daughter, Sharon Perry, said her family would "never get over what happened" and they were haunted by "thinking of the pain and terror she must have felt".

The 83-year-old had been walking behind McKiven's Transit van as he was trying to reverse into a parking space in Green Lane Avenue at about 17:20 GMT on 16 March 2023.

McKiven previously told the court he had not seen Ms Howard when his vehicle struck her and he was not aware she was underneath his van as he then tried to reverse four times.

As Ms Howard lay severely injured on the ground, members of the public who had seen what happened sought to comfort her in her final moments.

When officers arrested McKinven, of Pearmain Road in Street, they found 0.5g of cannabis on him, and detected cannabis in his system.

More of the drug was found in his van when it was seized by police.

He later admitted causing death by careless driving, causing death by driving a vehicle without a licence, causing death by driving a vehicle without insurance, and possession of a class B drug.

Reece McKinven was found to be just under the legal limit for cannabis when he reversed over his victim four times

In sentencing, Judge Paul Cook accepted McKinven "genuinely" failed to realise Ms Howard was behind his vehicle, but told him "your van had wing mirrors with an enhanced blind spot and she was there to be seen".

He also told the court the defendant had a "history of offences and it shows a cavalier attitude to driving".

Despite McKinven having traces of cannabis in his system, the level was not above the legal limit for prosecution.

However, Ray Howard, Ms Howard's son, argued it was an "arbitrary cut-off point".

He said: "If McKinven had even the tiniest amount more in his system, the judge would have been free to pass a much longer sentence.

"Anyone who knowingly gets into a vehicle having consumed illegal drugs should be held fully accountable for their actions."

The maximum prison sentence for causing death by careless driving in the UK is five years.

Avon and Somerset Police said that if McKinven had been over the legal limit, he could have been charged with an offence which carries a maximum penalty of life.

Since he was not, and he received credit for pleading guilty, the sentence was reduced to 13 months, the force added.

'Heartbreak and anger'

Mr Howard said his mother's "sudden and brutal death" had left their family "shattered".

"Beryl was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who brought immense joy and love to all who knew her," he said.

"Knowing that McKinven was driving without a licence, without insurance, and after consuming illegal drugs only deepens our heartbreak and anger at the entirely preventable nature of this tragedy.

"We are grateful that someone sat with her whilst she died, otherwise she would have been on her own in her last few minutes of life."

Ms Perry added: "We are a close family and saw Beryl almost every day. She is greatly missed.

"It has been so much harder as she suffered such a horrific death. It is so hard to bear thinking of the pain and terror she must have felt.

"We will never get over what happened to her."