Philip Bull, 90, has avoided a jail term after he ran over and killed two women when he accidentally stepped on his car’s accelerator
A 90-year-old man who mowed down and killed two women after he mistook the accelerator on his automatic car for the brakes walked free from court today amid fury from the victims’ families.
Retired Philip Bull was dropping off his 87-year-old wife for a doctor’s appointment at a hospital when he accidentally accelerated whilst reversing his green Ford Focus into a parking space.
The vehicle suddenly spun out of control and ran over Clare Haslam, 44, and Deborah Clifton, 49, who were walking outside Withington Community Hospital in Manchester.
Miss Clifton was crushed under the wheels of the vehicle and passed away later in another hospital despite members of the public lifting the vehicle off her. Her partner also suffered multiple crash injuries in the impact and died shortly afterwards.
At Manchester Crown Court today, friends and family of the two women wept in the public gallery as Bull was given two-year jail term, suspended for two years, for causing death by dangerous driving.