Driver spared jail sentence over death of great-grandmother, 77
A woman, who killed a great-grandmother from Shropshire by hitting the 77-year-old woman with her Porsche as she cycled to her husband's grave, has been spared jail.
Margaret Ward died from head and chest injuries after Tracy Capal, 51, accidentally clipped her bicycle's front wheel as she was turning into a Porsche car dealership.
Mrs Ward, a former primary school caretaker, who had moved to Handforth with her late husband Bob, was making her daily journey to lay flowers at Wilmslow cemetery in November.
Details of the tragedy emerged at Chester Crown Court as Capal, a speech writer, was given a suspended jail term and banned from the road for two years after she admitted causing death by careless driving.
Mr Andrew Hussey, prosecuting, said: "The car hit the front wheel knocking it off balance. Unaware of the collision the defendant continued her manoeuvre into the Porsche centre and parked."
He said one witness went to help Mrs Ward while his wife went to Capal, who was sitting in her car. He added: "She was instantly distraught when she saw Mrs Ward's injuries."
Defending Mr Jonathan Oultram said she had been "deeply affected by the accident".
Margaret and Bob Ward were originally from Shropshire and had lived in Handforth for 37 years.
In a statement her son Derek said she loved being around children and "was especially overjoyed to recently have two great-grandsons who were an important part of her life along with her other close family."
