A FARMER whose car collided with an elderly pedestrian, who later died, has admitted dangerous driving after his vehicle was found to have multiple defects.
Scott Anthony Mark Horn, 28, faces no charge in relation to the actual tragic collision between his Ford Focus and pensioner June Godwin, at Bridge Lane in Penrith on the morning of December 18, 2018. Police stated at the time that the 87-year-old was taken to hospital with a serious head injury. She died in Penrith hospital just over a month later, on January 22.
Horn, of Frith Lane, Brampton, Appleby-in-Westmorland, appeared at North and West Cumbria Magistrates’ Court in Carlisle today (FRI), when he admitted one charge of dangerous driving.
Prosecutor John Moran told magistrates Horn faced no charge in relation to the collision, police and the Crown Prosecution Service having considered the matter “carefully and consciously”.
However, examination of Horn’s vehicle had shown three tyres were below the legal tread limit “and as such would have had seriously detrimental effects on the stopping ability of the vehicle”. Mr Moran also revealed comments made by Horn, saying: “He further stated that none of the windscreen wipers were working, as they had all been ripped off a few days previously by his ex-girlfriend.
“It is dangerous driving by driving that vehicle in that condition in those weather conditions,” said Mr Moran, who added that it had been raining at the time of the collision.
Horn, who also told police that one of his front headlights had not been working, had his case committed for sentence to Carlisle Crown Court, where he is due to appear on on July 20.
He was granted unconditional bail and given an interim driving ban. This was despite his solicitor’s plea for a disqualification be postponed because he was worried about the impact on his livelihood of an instant ban.
