Man cleared over death crash

A man has been cleared of causing the deaths by dangerous driving of a mother and her four year-old daughter who died in a crash near Hereford.

Warwick Crown Court heard how Gareth Hankins' car veered into the path of an articulated lorry, which in turn crashed into the Ford Escort being driven by Debra Mason.

Mrs Mason, 33, and her daughter Molly died when their car was forced off the A465 Hereford to Abergavenny road in August 2002.

Mr Hankins, 30, from Cwmbran, Gwent, was found guilty of careless driving and fined £150.

He also had six penalty points added to his licence.

The jury heard that Mr Hankins, who works at Hereford railway station, could not remember the accident.

Mrs Mason's mother, Pat Harvey, from Kidderminster, said after the hearing that the sentence was a "joke".

She said that she would never recover from what had happened.