Man tagged after causing death by careless driving (From Gazette)

Man tagged after causing death by careless driving

8:00pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in News

A MAN who admitted causing death by careless driving has been electronically tagged and banned from driving for a year.

John Gillick pleaded guilty to causing the death of 82-year-old Peter Tweed when he smashed into his mobility scooter in July last year.

Gillick, 50, of Clacton Road, in St Osyth, was given a curfew and ordered not to leave his home between 9pm and 7am until the end of February.

District judge David Cooper said: “Although he is saying he simply did not see Mr Tweed, the fact is he should have done and he was not paying attention.”

Mr Tweed was travelling along Plough Road, in Great Bentley, on July 17, 2011, in his mobility scooter when Gillick smashed into it in his Range Rover.

Mr Cooper added: “It is clear Mr Gillick ploughed straight into Mr Tweed’s mobility scooter.”

Retired businessman Mr Tweed, of Weeley Road, in Great Bentley, did not die directly from the incident, but instead died later in hospital of a chest infection, which medical experts said occurred as a result of injuries he received during the crash.

Mr Tweed died on August 31.

Raphael Pigott, mitigating, told Colchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday Gillick, who suffers from depression and anxiety, had a “momentary lapse of concentration”.

He also said Mr Tweed is seeking help for his mental health and is being treated by charity, Rethink, based in Clacton, as a result of the incident.

Mr Tweed was initially taken to Colchester General Hospital with a broken arm and serious head injuries, before being transferred to a London hospital, where he died.