A GRIEVING daughter is disgusted the woman who killed her father through careless driving has been banned from driving for only a year.

Angela Sheppard's father, William Henry Cox, 87, was hit by a Mercedes while crossing Eastbury Road, Northwood, on September 15 last year. He was taken to Watford General Hospital but died from a serious head injury.

The driver, Yogini Amin, of Sandy Lane, Northwood, denied the offence and following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court, she was convicted and last week was sentenced to the one-year ban, as well as 100 hours community service and £1,500 costs.

But Mrs Sheppard, who lives in Truro, Cornwall, has criticised the sentence, saying it should have been much more severe. She said: "This sentence is absolutely disgusting. This is not justice for my father – she will be back on the roads within just one year and in my opinion, she should have been banned for at least five years, if not for life.

"When you drive a car, you are in control of a potentially lethal weapon – it is like pointing a gun at someone – the consequences are the same.
She really wasn't looking where she was going and her attitude in court was that it was my dad's fault – but when you are behind the wheel, it is your responsibility to watch the road.

"The community service will amount to little more than a couple of week's work, which is nothing compared to the price my dad has had to pay."

Mrs Sheppard says Mr Cox, a scuba diving instructor from Leaf Close, Northwood, had been a devoted carer to his wife, Veronica, who was blind, until her death in May last year.

"Mum and dad were married for 63 years and he took care of her for more than 12 years. He never complained, but there were so many things he was unable to do because of her condition.

"He wanted to go to France on the ferry, visit friends and then move to Truro, where he had already organised a place to live. It was all snatched away just 12 weeks after my mum died and that is the most devastating thing of all. All I feel now is an overwhelming sense of sadness and grief."

Amin is believed to be the first person in London to be convicted for death by careless driving, a relatively new offence.

Sergeant Chris Osborne, who headed the investigation, said: "This is a tragedy for all concerned. Mr Cox's family have suffered an irreplaceable loss. This had also had an impact on Mrs Amin and her family.

"The new legislation means drivers can find themselves getting convicted of serious criminal offences as a result of only a few seconds loss of concentration or carelessness. My hope is that other drivers heed the lessons learnt from this case."