Man jailed for causing death of 91-year-old in collision

Ninety-one-year-old Gwendoline Christian tragically died six days after she was hit by a car while crossing Sankt Augustin Way in Grantham last year.

The driver of the car that hit her, Mark Roberts, was over the drink drive limit and using his mobile phone at the time of the collision. It was a dark and rainy night, and he didn’t see Ms Christian as she crossed the road shortly after 4.45pm on Monday 27 November 2023. 

Ms Christian was an active woman in her 90s. Her garden was pristine, and she spent much time planting flowers, looking after her cats, talking to her neighbours, and enjoying her life. In a victim personal impact statement from her nephew, he described the devastating loss he has felt since his aunt died.

Roberts, 57, of Holden Way, Great Gonerby, was today (25 October) sentenced to eight years and three months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He also received a driving ban for nine years and 45 days.

Mark Roberts

Roberts was driving his green Vauxhall Astra on his usual route back from work in Melton Mowbray and was only five minutes away from home before the collision with Ms Christian.

An investigation by the Serious and Forensic Collision Investigation Units found Roberts had not noticed any pedestrians at all as he drove up to the junction of Sankt Augustin Way and Dysart Road. The lights were on green for him, meaning Ms Christian was crossing on a pedestrian red light, but he failed to notice her on the pedestrian crossing until the time of the collision. She was then taken to hospital where she sadly died.

The scene of the collision

A subsequent reconstruction held by investigators found that there was sufficient lighting provided by the streetlights and surrounding premises to make Ms Christian visible. Roberts’ speed at the time of the collision is believed to have been no more than 20mph, and Ms Christian would have been visible for at least three to four seconds. In interview Roberts stated that he had not expected a pedestrian to be in the road but the investigation found that, had he been paying adequate attention to his surroundings, he would still have been able to see Ms Christian and stop in time.

When interrogating Roberts’ phone records, and in the expert opinion of the Forensic Collision Investigator, PC Barlow, it is highly likely Roberts was on his mobile phone at the time of the collision. 

Roberts admitted to making a phone call on his way home. He said he ended the call as he drove by a nearby petrol station on Harlaxton Road. Roberts told officers he did not know how to connect the Bluetooth in his car so held it up against his ear in his hand.

PC Barlow found that there was a period of only 28 seconds from when Roberts’ call ended to a witness connecting to the 999-emergency operator; when the minimum time it would take for the witness to dial and be connected to the emergency operator is added, PC Barlow found Roberts could not have ended his phone call when he said he did and that it was likely Roberts was on his phone at the time of the collision. 

Shortly after the collision he provided an evidential breath sample which showed he had 71 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath; the legal limit is 35 micrograms.

In his police interview Roberts said he was having a bad time in his life; the day of the collision had been his late mother's birthday, who would have been 94, he was affected also by the death of his best friend and two colleagues who had recently died. He had a bottle of Jack Daniels in his boot, and he had drunk from it before he set off from his workplace. 

Detective Sergeant Adam Doona, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit,  said: "It’s difficult to put into words how tragic this collision is. The very sad death of Ms Christian, who is missed greatly, could so very easily have been avoided.

"Roberts must have known it is dangerous to drive, hold a phone and be in conversation with someone when in charge of and driving a car. Research shows a person's driving will be worse when on the phone compared to when they are not. Along with the phone use he admits to drinking Jack Daniels and was double the legal alcohol limit to drive.

"Not only has Roberts broken several laws, but society also rightly demands better from drivers.  There are and can be no excuses.

"This case is a stark reminder not only of the penalties for those who break the law in such a way but the devastating and very final impact their actions can have. No punishment can match the loss of Ms Christian’s life in such a way and the long-lasting effects that can have on those who cared for her. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Ms Christian."