Community order for driver who killed 83-year-old churchgoer in Bradford

The crash happened at the junction of Westfield Lane and Cockshott Lane in Idle in July 2022

A driver who killed an 83-year-old woman as she walked home from church has been given a community order.

Barbara Slingsby suffered "catastrophic chest injuries" when she was hit by Amber Hall's Volkswagen Polo in Bradford in July 2022.

Hall, 22, initially thought she had hit a rock or a wall as she performed the reversing manoeuvre, a court heard.

The judge told her the victim's family could see no benefit in the defendant being sent to prison.

Mrs Slingsby had been crossing the road on her way home after attending a Sunday morning service when she was hit at the junction of Westfield Lane and Cockshott Lane, Bradford Crown Court heard.

'Wracked with remorse'

Hall, who had only passed her driving test 10 months before the crash, became extremely upset when she realised what had happened and remained at the scene.

During a police interview Hall, of Norman Crescent, Idle, said she had initially parked by the cricket club but was not sure if she was allowed to do so and decided to move it

She said she believed she had checked her mirrors and did not see the great-grandmother as she began reversing

The court was told Mrs Slingsby had been the sole carer for her husband, who had subsequently passed away in April last year while the investigation into her death was still ongoing.

Judge Jonathan Rose said: "It is abundantly clear to me that you are a young woman wracked with remorse for what you have done."

He said the statement spoke volumes for the family of Mrs Slingsby, adding that a short prison sentence would serve no useful purpose.

He said the collision was the result of a momentary combination of factors which had tragic consequences, but he could not accept that Hall had checked fully before reversing her vehicle.

Hall, who pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by careless driving in November, was given a two-year community order which includes 200 hours unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.