Mother of Road Death Victim Blasts Appeal Attempt

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Motorist aiming for reduced sentence after killing cyclist

The mother of an Acton charity worker killed by a motorist who drove through a red light has hit out at an attempt to get the resulting sentence reduced.

Kerry Smith of Brentford hit cyclist Charlotte Morse on the Talgarth Road in Hammersmith in October 2006 after travelling through a set of traffic lights in her Smart car. In an interview with police she claimed that the light was green but witnesses said that the light had been red for about 20 seconds.

She hit Charlotte who was pronounced dead at the scene by air ambulance crews. Smith, was an army cadet instructor with no previous convictions and a clean driving license. She was carrying two cadets in her car at the time of the accident. She was jailed for 21 months in November of last year.

Charlotte's mother, Juliet, has criticised Smith's application to the Appeal Court for a reduction in her sentence saying it showed a lack of remorse.

She was quoted in the Evening Standard as saying, "This woman was driving recklessly and my daughter died because of that. If she had been driving at 30mph and paying attention then Charlotte would probably still be alive today. A 21-month jail sentence is a small price to pay for taking my daughter's life. Sentences are far too short for drivers who kill cyclists anyway. Nothing will bring Charlotte back. But the appeal shows she lacks any remorse or understanding of what she has done to us."

February 7, 2008