Pensioner, 96, avoids jail after becoming 'oldest person in UK to be convicted of death by dangerous driving'

June Mills, 96, lost control of her Vauxhall Corsa and struck two people with it

A 96-year-old believed to be the oldest woman in the UK to be convicted of death by dangerous driving has avoided jail after killing another pensioner. June Mills lost control of her Vauxhall Corsa and mounted the pavement as she left a bridge club.

She told police the car accelerated unexpectedly moments before it struck 76-year-old Brenda Joyce and 80-year-old Jennifer Ensor. Mrs Joyce was killed, while Mrs Ensor was injured.

The victims had been walking along the pavement after leaving the same bridge club when the car smashed into them. Sentencing on Monday (September 30), Judge Simon Medland KC said: "On any view and from every angle this case is an utter tragedy.

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"Mrs Joyce died, Mrs Ensor was injured, you have lost your good character and are in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court." The court heard how Mills was leaving Elbow Lane Methodist Church in Formby, Merseyside, shortly after 4pm on August 2 last year when she lost control of her car.

Mrs Joyce and Mrs Ensor had been walking along the pavement after leaving the bridge club, which they attended with Mills, prosecuto Robert Dudley said. The convict told police in a prepared statement her accelerator pedal felt as if it had 'dropped to the floor' as she manoeuvred round a parked car and she had 'shot forward'.

She said: "It all happened very quickly and there were people in front of me but I could not avoid hitting them because the car was going so fast I had no control over it." The court heard Mrs Joyce's husband did not support the prosecution.

In a statement read to the court, Mrs Ensor said she suffered minor physical injuries including tendon damage which prevented her from playing a full round of golf. She told how she has a 'sense of guilt' at having survived.

Tom Gent, defending, said: "This is plainly a dreadfully sad case. Mrs Mills, the defendant, is extremely sorry for what happened. The consequences will haunt her forever. She feels great shame and guilt."

Former careers advisor Mills - who was in a wheelchair and donned a green fleece and tartan blanket over her knees for the hearing - surrendered her driving licence following the crash. She had previously been involved in voluntary work with victims of crime and young offenders.

Mr Gent said: "Recently she has housed, and continues to house, Ukrainian refugees." She now accepts she must have mistakenly applied too much acceleration which caused her car to lurch forward and mount the kerb, Mr Gent added.

Judge Medland said the starting point for her sentence would be 18 months in prison following credit for a guilty plea made at an earlier hearing. He said: "Bearing in mind the imposition guidelines, the pre-sentence reports, the abundance of references and, if I might add, plain common sense, it would not profit anybody to make that an immediate sentence, nor would that be a just outcome."

He handed her an 18-month sentence, suspended for 18 months. Mills, of Broadway Close, Ainsdale, Merseyside, was also ordered to pay a £1,500 fine and £500 prosecution costs.

She was handed a five-year driving ban. Merseyside Police said Mrs Joyce was treated at the scene by paramedics after sustaining a serious head injury.

But she could not be saved and was pronounced dead. Detective Sergeant Andy Roper, of the Matrix Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Brenda’s family and friends as they continue to come to terms with the tragic events of last August.

"This was a complex and difficult investigation which has led to today’s sentence at court. While nothing can bring Brenda back, we hope that this outcome helps their recovery and provides at least a little closure.

"June Mills has been dealt with by the courts and while we appreciate the unusual and sensitive circumstances of this case and the interest it has generated, we would ask that all parties are given privacy now the case has come to its conclusion."