Suspended sentence for Wellingborough driver who caused the death of a 'hugely loved' great grandmother
Deborah Chambers was sentenced to six months in prison – suspended for two years – after she was found guilty of causing the death of 92-year-old Jean Barton following a road traffic collision.
A 66-year-old motorist convicted of causing the death of a ‘hugely loved’ great grandmother after a fleeting lapse of concentration has been spared jail.
Deborah Chambers was sentenced to six months in prison – suspended for two years – after she was found guilty of causing the death of 92-year-old Jean Barton following a road traffic collision in January 2022.
At Northampton Crown Court on March 7, Chambers of Heath Rise, Wellingborough, was also disqualified from driving for six years and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. She will have to complete an extended re-test if she wishes to drive again.
Chambers was found guilty of the single charge of causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving following a four-day trial at the same court earlier this year, when the jury decided her driving fell short of the expected standard of a competent driver.
The court heard that at about 2.30pm on January 27, 2022, Chambers was driving her silver Volkswagen Golf GTi car downhill on Gold Street in Wellingborough towards the town centre when the collision occurred.
There was no evidence to suggest she was driving above the 30mph speed limit nor that there was anything in the car which could have distracted her. However, a lapse in concentration was one possible reason why the collision occurred.
As Chambers approached a pedestrian crossing, it was suggested she may have been focused on the green light giving priority to traffic and had not spotted Mrs Barton crossing the road at the junction with Harrowden Road and Broad Green until it was too late.
Mrs Barton, who was described by her family as independent and someone who refused to give in to old age, received medical treatment at the scene before being airlifted to University Hospital Coventry. However, she sadly died from the serious head injuries later that day.
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Barton’s daughter Lynne Hampson told the court that her family had not come to terms with the deep loss and have not accepted what happened, and nor did they envisage they would have to go through anything of this magnitude.
Mrs Hampson said: “My mum was a force within the family, respected and hugely loved by her three children, six grandchildren, six great grandchildren, eight nieces and nephews and 17 great nieces and nephews. She was proud of all her family.
“She may have slowed a bit over the years but there was no stopping her. She was a happy, healthy, fit 92-year-old who walked everywhere, who refused to give in to old age and quite adequately managed everything a younger woman could.
“Mum loved life and not having her any longer to make more memories and photos is crushing. She lived life to the fullest and her enthusiasm for it makes this situation all the more profoundly difficult.
“Mum also loved her garden, crossword puzzles and television soaps. She was a member of the Wellingborough Pensioners’ Club for more than 30 years and regularly went on the bus trips, never missed a meal out and was first to put her name down for the Christmas dinner.”
Following the sentencing hearing, Detective Sergeant Janette Maitland of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “The devastation Deborah Chambers’ actions has caused cannot be measured. Jean was a much-loved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, whose family all thought the absolute world of her.
“No sentence will ever make up for her death and I hope Chambers is aware that her lapse of concentration, no matter how brief it may have been, has left a family completely and forever heartbroken.
“Throughout the investigation and at court, Jean’s family have displayed immense courage, dignity and emotional strength, and I hope the conclusion of this case will provide them with some sort of closure and give them the time to grieve properly.”
Tragically in 2022, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 36 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 347 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.