Double-decker bus driver, 73, ran over and killed beloved nan

A 73-year-old bus driver who ran over and killed a beloved nan has been spared jail.

Kenneth Cherry was behind the wheel of a double-decker bus in St Helens, Merseyside, in November 2020 when he failed to check a blind spot before setting off from a pedestrian crossing, a court heard. He struck 63-year-old Audrey Williams leaving her 'screaming out in pain', the Liverpool Echo reports.

She suffered 'catastrophic injuries' and lost consciousness at the scene. She was tragically pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital.

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Yesterday (Wednesday), Cherry - who was a bus driver at Arriva - was sentenced in court for causing death by dangerous driving. He was spared an immediate prison term after the judge said he would 'live with the guilt for the rest of his life'.

Liverpool Magistrates Court' was told how the long-serving worker was driving the 10A service between Liverpool and St Helens shortly before 11am on November 19 2020. Approaching the bus depot on Bickerstaffe Street, Cherry - of Colburne Close in Burscough - he stopped at a red light, slightly over the white line.

Ms Williams, who was walking to the bank at the time, entered the crossing from the left as the light turned from red to amber. The Highway Code states that a motorist cannot pass a junction until the lights return to green.

But Cherry failed to look in this direction and began to drive off. He knocked Ms Williams over and ran over her lower legs.

She lost consciousness at the scene, with extensive CPR attempts performed by paramedics. The nan was rushed to Whiston Hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards as a result of 'severe