Fatal crash driver's ban is cut

Flt Lt Neville Rees, his wife Karen and their son Andrew all died

A lorry driver found guilty of careless driving after a crash that killed three members of a Lincolnshire family has had his driving ban halved.

Flt Lt Neville Rees, 43, his wife Karen, 41, and son Andrew, 11, died in the crash near RAF Cranwell in 2006.

Neil Margerison of Clayton-Le-Dale, Blackburn, Lancashire, was cleared of causing their deaths by dangerous driving at a trial in April.

The 24-year-old's driving ban was reduced to 18 months on appeal.

'Appalling accident'

Mr Justice Jack, sitting with Lord Justice Maurice Kay and Mr Justice Simon at London's Court of Appeal, said they considered an 18-month disqualification met the circumstances of the case.

Margerison's counsel, John Benson, said: "The circumstances of this appalling accident do not indicate that he posed a significant risk to the public of inattentive or dangerous driving for the future."

Margerison was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 at the April hearing at Lincoln Crown Court.

The court heard that the lorry he was driving crashed into a line of stationary traffic on the A15.

'Sneezed'

Flt Lt Rees' car was squashed between two lorries and was left so crushed some witnesses did not even know it was there.

Margerison said during the trial that he had sneezed just before the collision, but the prosecution insisted he had simply not been paying attention.

Giving evidence, Margerison said he accepted some blame for the tragedy.

"I should have stopped sooner. But I sneezed, and my reactions were slow," he said.