[A] MUM whose careless driving killed a devoted and proud family man has been jailed for a year.
Chelsea McLeish, 26, was uninsured and transporting her young daughter in a Volkswagen Golf which crashed into Alan Schofield and his son, Andrew, at dusk on November 24 last year.
At the time, the pair were on foot, pushing a trailer laden with logs a short distance along the A6071 near Irthington. Alan Schofield, aged 57, suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His son was also hurt during an incident which was said to have since had a “significant mental impact” upon him.
Carlisle Crown Court heard McLeish was driving “at a minimum of 62mph” on the 60mph stretch of road between Longtown and Brampton. She had been “momentarily distracted” at the time, and did not see the two men.
“She had time to react, but didn’t, and the collision was caused,” said prosecutor Kim Whittlestone.
The court heard Mr Schofield’s wife, Kathryn, and his children, Andrew and Clare, had spoken of a “devastating loss to their lives”.
McLeish, of Bellsfield, Longtown, had been driving uninsured for two months, the court heard, and had a previous conviction for mobile phone use behind the wheel.
She was said to have shown “true remorse” for what happened, and admitted causing death by careless driving.
Judge James Adkin imposed an immediate jail term. He ordered McLeish to serve a three-year driving ban when released, and take an extended re-test.
“You should have been paying careful attention to what you were doing,” Judge Adkin told her. “Because even the slightest inattention at 60mph can have devastating consequences, as this case so tragically shows.”
Sergeant Martin Smith of Cumbria Police said: “Distracted driving causes collisions on roads up and down the county every single day.
“Whether it is your mobile phone, your sat-nav or your CD player, drivers should not allow anything to distract them from the responsibility of driving safely. Sadly, we have seen the result when this message is ignored.
“The results in this instance have been tragic and our thoughts are with Mr Schofield’s family today.”
