Mother jailed for causing death of mobility scooter rider

Stephen Young, 67, was on his way to collect a prescription for his gravely ill wife when Anne-Marie Stevens knocked him off his mobility scooter and fatally injured him, York Crown Court heard.

Tom Jackson, prosecuting, said Mr Young had started to cross the road before Stevens reached the roundabout and turned right towards him.  He was at least halfway across the road when the collision happened.

The view for cars approaching the mini roundabout as Anne-Marie Stevens did. The designated crossing is to the left of the streetlight outside the house (Image: Google Street View)

Stevens claimed at the scene and later to police that the crash wasn’t her fault and Mr Young had “come from nowhere”.

But video footage showed Mr Young had stopped and checked the road was clear before crossing at a designated crossing space.

Mr Young’s daughter Michelle in a statement read to the court said: “She failed to follow multiple rules of the road.  My father’s death could have been prevented if she had followed the rules, even one of them.”

"Dad wasn't only just a husband a father a grandfather, brother, friend and uncle, he was a pillar of support. The foundation for our family and without him it has collapsed. We are destroyed.”

Stephen Young (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Stevens, 34, whose address cannot be given for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.  She was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for 15 months.  The court heard she had a previous conviction for speeding.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said: “You chose to ignore the roundabout. That was a deliberate decision and it was also clear that you did so without checking that the road ahead was clear.

"This was a shocking piece of driving.  He was a vulnerable road user whom you tried to blame.”

Mr Jackson said Stevens was heading down Valley Road in Northallerton at 2.20pm on March 9, 2023, when she came to the mini roundabout where she turned right into Greenhowsdyke Road.

Instead of going the correct way round the roundabout, she went to her right, essentially driving the wrong way round it.

Meanwhile Mr Young had already started to cross Greenhowsyke Road from the opposite end of the roundabout.

Stevens drove her Citroen C2 into Greenhowsyke Road still to some extent on the wrong side of the road and her brake lights didn't come on before she hit him.

Mr Young suffered 13 rib fractures and other injuries and died a few days later in hospital.

Mother-of-six Anne-Marie Stevens (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

For Stevens, Harry Crowson said she was the mother of six children and lived every day with the memory of what she had done.

The collision had been at low speed and she had stopped to help Mr Young after the collision.

Mr Crowson said she was "sensitive and kind" and had the "curse" of having to live with what she had done. "She has suffered from nightmares every single night," he said.

One of her children had major health problems which required her mother’s help.  Stevens had been the victim of "truly appalling" domestic violence in the past.

• PC Amy Herrick from North Yorkshire Police's major collision investigation unit said: "The actions of Stevens have directly changed the lives of numerous people forever, and ultimately caused the death of Mr Young, which was entirely preventable.

  "Every driver holds a significant amount of responsibility when they take a motor vehicle onto our roads, and I would urge people not to become complacent, ensuring they always drive safely and to the rules of the road.”