A florist has been handed a driving ban after committing a 'careless and unsafe' manoeuvre which put a 70-year-old man in hospital for eight days.
Adele Shaw-Frost, 40, was behind the wheel of a white Kia Sportage on the evening of January 6 this year when she 'cut a corner' and collided with John Hogan on Penmore Close in Shaw, Minshull Street Crown Court heard today (August 19).
Victim suffered multiple injuries
Mr Hogan had been at the Morning Star pub in Shaw and was walking home along Grains Road with his grandson on what was said to be a dark and wet evening with snow on the ground. He reached the junction with Penmore Close, less than 100ft from the pub, and began to cross the road, prosecutor Simon Barrett told the court.
"Ms Shaw-Frost turned right into the road in what we say was a rushed manoeuvre. Cutting the corner in these conditions was unsafe," he said. "She struck Mr Hogan, knocking him into the air and causing him serious injuries."
The driver was said to have remained at the scene, checking on Mr Hogan, and waited for police to arrive, the court heard.
Mr Hogan was taken to Salford Royal Hospital where he remained for eight days with broken bones, a torn ligament, a bleed on the brain, a fractured right ankle, a laceration to the head and 'scrapes and bruises' to his body.
"His long-term prognosis was described as good but the incident has affected his independence and resulted in him suffering memory loss," Mr Barrett said.
Florist's personal circumstances considered
Ms Shaw-Frost initially pleaded not guilty to a single charge of causing serious injury by careless driving, but later changed this to a guilty plea at a pre-trial preparation hearing.
She is of previous good character with no previous convictions but six points on her driving license. Defence barrister Damian Zelazowski told the court that Shaw-Frost is a single parent to two children and a domestic abuse survivor.
"She is doing fantastically," he told the court. "She has her own floristry business and has an employee. She feels ashamed of this incident and losing her license would really impact her business. She has debts and is in some financial difficulty but is trying to make her business work as best she can."
Sentencing, Judge Lester-Ashworth remarked that it had been a dark and rainy evening but that the area was well-lit and Mr Hogan was a vulnerable road user.
"You cut the corner and struck him as he was crossing the road," she said. "It was a dangerous position and an unsafe manoeuvre. You are genuinely remorseful, you are the primary carer for two young children and successfully manage a small business. You are described as a compassionate, caring person of positive character."
Sentence and driving ban
Adele Shaw-Frost, of Cunliffe Drive in Shaw, was handed a 15-month community order and an unpaid work requirement of 180 hours. She was also banned from driving for 12 months with no requirement for an extended retest, and ordered to pay £500 in prosecution costs and a victim surcharge. The judge did not hand her any rehabilitation activity requirements, remarking that she posed 'absolutely no risk of reoffending at all'.
