A doting neighbour has been spared jail after admitting to causing the death of her friend.

George James broke his leg when Dorothy 'Dotty' Sanders accidentally drove her car through the front of his house in West Kingsdown.

No charges were brought following the accident in Neal Road last January, but the pensioner voluntarily gave up her licence straight away.

Mr James later contracted pneumonia and died at Darent Valley Hospital in April 2019.

A post mortem ruled he died from pneumonia following a leg injury.

As the leg injury was caused by Sanders, the Crown Prosecution Service pursued a charge of causing death by careless driving against the 80-year-old.

Mr James' family vehemently opposed the conviction, making their feelings clear in a victim impact statement.

Kristy Harkett, prosecuting, read it to the court: "After the accident my dad was shaken and didn't know what had happened, when we told him, he said he didn't wish Dotty any malice, those were his exact words.

"Every day Dotty looks out the window she's looking at our father's house. She's punishing herself.

"She's a broken woman who has to live with this for the rest of her life. It's absolute madness to prosecute her, our family are all in total agreement.

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous, it's definitely not in the public interest and it's not in our family's interests, it's absolutely ludicrous to take her to court."

The court heard Sanders and her husband Gerald had been friends with George James and his wife for 15 years.

Chair of the bench Jackie Hamilton heard the couples often had each other round for tea and Gerald would take the James' to doctors appointments or pick up their shopping.

"Dotty and Gerry were the go to people if mum and dad couldn't get hold of one of us..."

The family wrote: "I would describe them as really good neighbours. Dotty and Gerry were the go to people if mum and dad couldn't get hold of one of us.

"They were there on the day of my dad's funeral and Gerry has been there for my mum since."

Prior to the accident Mr James had been living with a catalogue of diseases including COPD and diabetes.

Appearing at Maidstone Magistrates Court today white haired Sanders pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

The court heard the accident happened when she was trying to reverse her automatic Skoda on to her drive.

She struck her husband's caravan, and put the car into forward drive, but accelerated too fast and crossed the road, driving through the front wall of Mr James' home, where he was sitting in the lounge.

Alex Jamieson, defending, said: "My client has had a long driving career across many decades without a single penalty point.

"You can see there was a close bond, and there there is a close bond, between between Mrs Sanders and Mr James and his family."

Mrs Hamilton sentenced 80-year-old Sanders to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for six months. She must pay a total of £200 in prosecution costs.

KentOnline has approached Crown Prosecution Service for further explanation on why it pursued the charge against Mrs Sanders.

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