A Royal Navy veteran who killed a father-of-one when he mistook the accelerator for the brake in his Audi A3 has been spared jail.
Stephen Priddey, 66, suffered catastrophic injuries after he was dragged across the petrol station forecourt beneath 90-year-old Leslie Gaskins’ car.
Gaskins was leaving the Central Stores in Martley, Worcestershire, on September 17 last year when he stepped on the wrong pedal, causing the automatic car to reverse at speed.
Father-of-one Mr Priddey, a former partner of a chartered accountancy firm, was pulled beneath the wheels and dragged along the forecourt.
Stephen Priddey, 66, (left) suffered catastrophic injuries after he was dragged across the petrol station forecourt beneath the car driven by 90-year-old Leslie Gaskins (right)
Gaskins admitted causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday.
But he avoided jail after being handed a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Mr Priddey’s death was captured on time lapse CCTV, played to the court.
It showed him walking past the driver’s side of the Audi and then behind it, banging on the car and shouting to warn Gaskins as he began to reverse.
The vehicle only came to a stop once it hit a wooden post across the road.
Mr Priddey was airlifted to hospital where he later died from his injuries. Prosecutor Michael Hall told the court: ‘Tragically, the extent of his injuries meant he did not make it through the night’.
Following the case Mr Priddey’s widow Shona, 39, called for mandatory testing to be introduced for drivers aged over 75.
Gaskins was leaving the Central Stores in Martley, Worcestershire, when he stepped on the wrong pedal, causing the automatic car to reverse at speed
The vehicle only came to a stop once it hit a wooden post across the road
She said: ‘Stephen was such a charming, warm and lovely person who was well liked by everyone who knew him.
‘We still can’t believe he is no longer part of our family and there is not a day goes by where we don’t think of Stephen and all the plans we should be making and memories we should be creating.
‘What makes it even harder to come to terms with is that his death was so unnecessary.
‘No sentence will bring Stephen back. If any good can come out of Stephen’s death it would be through the introduction of annual mandatory driving tests for elderly drivers, not only to protect other road users but the drivers themselves.
‘For many elderly people, driving helps them maintain their independence which is important especially in rural areas, but what is more important is that they should be able to prove they are not a danger to the public so other families don’t have to suffer the heartache we have because of Stephen’s death.’
Gaskins’ car sped across the forecourt (right) and came to a stop when it hit a post across the road (left)
Gaskins later surrendered his driving licence and has not driven since. He suffers from diabetes and his wife is in hospital suffering from dementia, the court heard.
Alexander Stein, defending, said Gaskins had been left ‘distraught’.
He added: ‘I hope the court will take it from me he’s completely devastated by the pain he has caused to Mr Priddey’s family.’
Judge Nicolas Cartwright banned him from driving for five years and ordered him to pay costs of £480.
The judge told Gaskins: ‘If you carry the burden of having taken an innocent life it might be some small crumb of comfort to them [Mr Priddey’s family] to hear that from you.’