Louis Thorold: Death crash driver, 75, given supervision order

Louis Thorold pictured with his mother Rachael just hours before the crash in January 2021

A driver has been handed a supervision order after she was found not guilty by reason of insanity of causing death by careless driving.

Five-month-old Louis Thorold was hit on the pavement of the A10 near Cambridge, on 22 January 2021. His mother Rachael was seriously injured.

Shelagh Robertson, 75, had undiagnosed dementia at the time of the crash in Waterbeach, her lawyers said.

She was given the 12month order at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.

Mrs Robertson, of Stables Yard in Waterbeach, was driving home from a supermarket when she turned into the path of an oncoming van, forcing it on to the pavement where it hit Rachael Thorold and baby Louis in his pram, a court previously heard.

Louis was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Mrs Thorold spent 10 days in a coma and 118 days in hospital, with her husband Chris describing her survival as "miraculous".

Shelagh Robertson's defence team said she had undiagnosed Alzheimer's disease at the time of the crash

Mrs Robertson denied causing the infant's death by careless driving and a jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Guidance issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says that in a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict, the court must make a supervision order, a hospital order or a discharge.

Louis Thorold was born at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge in August 2020

In a statement Louis's parents Rachael and Chris Thorold said: "Louis Steven James was the sweetest happiest, joyful and most beautiful baby, he was perfectly ours.

"We are forever haunted and cruelly tortured by the birthdays, Christmases and milestones we won't have with Louis.

"We are eternally grateful to those that ran towards Rachael and Louis that day and those that have been involved in Rachael's recovery. We can never thank you enough for your efforts, kindness, bravery, skills, passion and professionalism."

Rachael and Chris Thorold set up a foundation in Louis's name

Following the crash, Louis' family had set up the Louis Thorold Foundation in their son's memory, with the aim of preventing infant pedestrian deaths.