Driver dies in prison nine days after being jailed for killing woman
Driver, 87, dies from a heart attack in prison nine days after being jailed for killing woman, 64, by hitting his car accelerator instead of the brake in a Sainsbury’s car park
- William Heagren died at Wormwood Scrubs in London on December 14
- He had been jailed for 27 months for causing death by dangerous driving
- Jeanette Newman died in hospital after he reversed his Ford into her and a friend
William Heagren (pictured previously outside Harrow Crown Court) died at Wormwood Scrubs in Hammersmith, London, on December 14
A driver who was jailed for killing a woman by hitting his car accelerator instead of the brake has died from a heart attack after just nine days in prison.
Veteran motorist William Heagren died at Wormwood Scrubs in Hammersmith, London, on December 14.
The 87-year-old had been put behind bars just over a week earlier on December 5 after being sentenced to 27 months for causing death by dangerous driving.
Heagren had reversed his Ford Fusion into Jeanette Newman, 64, and her friend Sarah Taylor, 53, in a Sainsbury’s car park in South Ruislip, west London, in May 2018.
Harrow Crown Court heard during his trial that he had bumped his car into a bollard jut minutes before which had left him ‘raging’ with himself for ‘being a bloody fool.’
But that he got back into his vehicle and mistakenly put it into reverse before hitting the wrong pedal.
Mrs Newman died in hospital the next day from brain injuries she sustained after hitting her head on the tarmac.
Her friend Ms Taylor bore the brunt of the ‘out of control’ vehicle before it came to stop when it struck a bollard.
She survived the crash but suffered a stroke and was left with life-changing injuries.
Heagren originally appeared at court using a zimmer frame and asked to be bailed while he appealed the custodial sentence.
But Judge Lana Wood refused to let him out and said he must go straight to prison.
Barrister David Wood, in mitigation, contested the judge’s decision to jail Heagrean at the time saying it was an ‘exceptional case’.
He said: ‘This man is 87 and the court has before it medical evidence strongly suggesting in the words of a GP that incarceration in a new environment could result in hospital admission for a life threatening illness.
‘That makes this an exceptional case. This is arguably manifestly excessive.’
Heagren had reversed his Ford Fusion into Jeanette Newman, 64, and her friend Sarah Taylor, 53, in a Sainsbury’s car park in South Ruislip, west London, in May 2018
But the Judge said: ‘Although the conditions he faces are serious, the GP letter doesn’t amount in itself to exceptional reasons. I’m afraid I’m not so persuaded.
‘This was a case that has caused me anxiety I have spent a considerable amount of time considering the sentence.
‘It is not a sentence that I give lightly or that I would voluntarily wish to impose.
‘However, in my judgement it is the shortest sentence I can impose.’
Reacting to the sentence at the time Jeanette’s partner of 25 years, Andrew Roberts, 58, said: ‘I was not expecting him to be jailed.
‘It doesn’t give me any pleasure, but it proves there is justice after all.
‘I am a broken man since Jeanette was so violently and suddenly taken away.
‘Of course, I feel strongly about the person who caused her death, but there are no winners in this situation. Today was about Jeanette.’
Andrew Roberts (pictured with his late partner Jeanette) said the jailing did not bring him any pleasure but that it showed there is justice
The court had heard that Heagren’s wife had originally driven the car on the day of the accident to pick up a present.
CCTV footage showed Mrs Heagren exit the driver’s seat and walk into the store without parking the car.
Heagren, who was 86 at the time of the fatal collision, then took to the wheel to move the vehicle but collided with a bollard at slow speed.
He was seen in an angry state looking at the damage to the front bumper before getting back into the car and slamming the door shut.
He then reversed the automatic vehicle at maximum reverse speed narrowly missing a father who had to pull his children out of harm.
He continued reversing until his car struck Ms Newman and Ms Taylor carrying them towards a bollard which stopped the car in its tracks after travelling around 100ft.
The impact left Ms Newman unconscious, and she suffered skull, facial and rib fractures as well as a punctured lung and a blood clot on the brain.
Memorials had previously been left to Jeanette at the scene
Her life support machine was switched off the following morning after surgery to relieve a blood clot on the brain failed.
Ms Taylor suffered a head injury and was seen to be in and out of consciousness at the scene.
She suffered a seven centimetre laceration to her forehead, but was discharged from hospital on 27 May which was the day after the accident.
Following her discharge Ms Taylor returned to hospital where it was found she had suffered an acute ischaemic stroke linked to the accident.
She sustained prolapsed discs and a hip injury from the crash and now suffers from hearing and swallowing problems, incontinence and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Describing his initial collision, Heagren told police: ‘I was raging with myself by that time for being a bloody fool.’
He added: ‘I re-entered the vehicle, put the car in ‘drive, handbrake off, touched the throttle the slightest bit because I was going to creep into that place, and the car moved and then reversed back at speed.’
The expert collision investigator disagreed with Heagren’s account and concluded the tragedy was a result of driver error and was ‘a classic case of pedal confusion’.
He told the court that in his opinion Heagren selected the wrong gear, became confused between the pedals, and then depressed the accelerator firmly believing it to be the foot brake.
Mr Wood described Heagren as a ‘thoroughly decent man’ who had been ‘crushed’ by what happened.
He said: ‘This was a tragic accident. The court must focus on what happened, why it happened and what the right sentence is as a result.
‘The stigma of a criminal conviction after a blameless life working hard paying taxes and looking after his family is in itself a significant punishment.’
Heagren never apologised to his victims’ families but the defence nonetheless claimed he had shown ‘genuine remorse’ in interviews with his probation officer.
Attempting to secure a suspended sentence, Mr Wood added: ‘He has a broken hip and will need a surgical appointment.
‘He walks with a frame and is incredibly frail and is at a stage in his life when even a minor fall could kill him.’
Because of his guilty pleas the Judge reduced Heagren’s sentence to 27 months for death by dangerous driving and 13 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving that were to be served concurrently.
She said: ‘The incident took place over four to five seconds and around 15 metres.
‘The car was travelling at around 19mph at the point of impact.
‘This was a clearly inappropriate speed in this environment and all the more dangerous because the vehicle was travelling backwards. The vehicle was completely out of control.’
She added: ‘You didn’t deliberately do it. In my judgement, the fact you attempted further manoeuvres before recovering from the first incident increases the seriousness of the offence.
‘There is an aggravating factor of getting back into the car when you were still cross with yourself.’
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