Woman banned over death crash

A doctor's wife has been banned from driving for 12 months after a passenger in her car was killed in a crash near Worcester.

Katherine Dawkes was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving but the jury found her guilty of the less serious charge of careless driving.

The court had heard the 36-year-old was involved in a head-on crash with a Ford Capri after she overtook a lorry in her Land Rover between Crowle and Spetchley.

Timothy Hill, aged 26, of Cherry Orchard, Pershore, died instantly after he was flung forward from the back seat of the car which did not have a seatbelt.

Judge Michael Mott fined Mrs Dawkes £1,000, with £150 costs, and banned her from driving for 12 months.

The judge explained to relatives of the victim in the public gallery that under the law there is no custodial sentence for careless driving.

But he said the offence was "carelessness of a pretty high order".