Care worker admits killing OAP
pedestrianBy Joanne Rowe
A CARE assistant killed a war veteran while speeding to get to his next home visit, a court heard.
David Griffin was driving at speeds of up to 46mph in a 30mph zone when he hit Harold Watson, aged 81, just two days before Christmas.
The pensioner suffered multiple injuries from which he later died.
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Griffin, aged 60, of Primula Street, Astley Bridge, appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
The court heard that Mr Watson was shopping in Church Street, Westhoughton, on December 23, 2006. He was outside a butcher's shop at 7.30am, where a queue of people had formed to buy their Christmas turkeys.
Mr Watson began to cross the road when a Citroen Saxo, driven by Griffin, hit him.
Mr Watson, of Chichester Avenue, Atherton, suffered serious multiple injuries. He was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital and later transferred to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he died four weeks later.
The court was told that Griffin, who worked as a care assistant for Bolton Care Services, visited patients in their homes. He had already visited at least one patient that morning and was on his way to see another.
Judge Steven Everett said: "There was evidence to suggest that he was under pressure to get to the next appointment, pressure that was not of his making."He added that the pressure had been placed on Griffin by his employers and that in a 30mph zone he was driving at between 42 and 46mph.
Experts said had he been driving at 30mph, he would have been able to brake in time and could have avoided hitting Mr Watson.
Adjourning the case for sentence, the judge said the case was sad for all concerned, describing both the victim and the defendant as "exceptional men".
He described Mr Watson, a great-grandfather who left a family, including widow, Molly, and three children, as a "cheerful, hard-working and friendly man who was loved by all who knew him".
The court heard how Griffin and his wife cared around the clock for their 35-year-old mentally and physically disabled son.
Judge Everett described it as a "highly unusual, almost unique case".
"How does one put a price on a man's life. It is impossible," he said.
Following the tragedy, Griffin,
who has previous convictions for speeding, resigned from his job. He now works as a carer at a Bolton nursing home where no driving is required.
Judge Everett adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports until May 12, indicating that the maximum sentence he would consider imposing would be a suspended prison sentence.
jrowe@theboltonnews.co.uk
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