‘Callous’ lorry driver who killed young mum with crane arm has sentence doubled
William Stewart killed mum Natalie Thorpe after failing to secure a stabiliser to keep metal fencing he was transporting in place as he rushed home from work.
A "CALLOUS" lorry driver who killed a mum-of-one after a huge metal arm protruding from his vehicle cut her down has had his prison sentence doubled.
William Stewart killed mum Natalie Thorpe as he "couldn't be bothered" to secure a stabiliser keeping metal fencing in place as he rushed home from work.
Judges at the Court of Appeal in London today ruled Stewart was let off too lightly with a four and a half year sentence and upped the jail time to seven years.
Natalie was killed after a huge metal arm became dislodged and was hanging loose by up to four feet from the side of Stewart's Ford Iveco lorry.
Despite a warning alarm going off which could be heard by people walking along the pavement, Stewart ignored the bleeping.
Related Stories
The protruding piece of metal soon came crashing down on boutique shop manageress Natalie Thorpe, 29, as she was waiting at a pedestrian crossing in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
Lord Justice Davis said Stewart was guilty of "indolent indifference" for the safety of others.
He added: “He actively knew before he set off on his journey. He simply couldn’t be bothered to secure them to spare himself some time and personal inconvenience.
“This was in total and flagrant disregard for the safety of others - he just didn’t care.”
Natalie, who has left behind 12-year-old son Luis, died on impact and suffered multiple injuries.
Her death had a "devastating impact" on her young son and their wider family, a court heard.
The support arm of the lorry also hit a pedestrian light and smacked into a Volkswagen Golf before Stewart eventually stopped his lorry.
He did not even notice he had killed Natalie until he crashed into the second vehicle.
Stewart, himself a father-to-be, worked as an agency driver for Block n Mesh Fencing near his home in Birkenhead.
He had been fired by a previous haulage firm due to concerns about his driving following two other accidents, Preston Crown Court heard.
He denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury.
Stewart will be banned from driving for five years once he has served his four-and-a-half year sentence.
Ms Thorpe was killed on June 4 last year after Stewart was assigned to bring the metal fencing to the Wirral from Cheshire.
Stewart had failed to look in his mirrors where he would have seen the stabiliser was not secured correctly.
Ms Thorpe had just left work at the Elite Dress Agency in Altrincham and didn't see the metal arm coming as she was about to cross the road.
Prosecutor Nicola Daley said: "Driving the vehicle in the condition it was in and not making any checks made it a substantial risk of causing danger."
In an emotion charged statement read to the court, Natalie's mother Jacqueline Mason said: "Around 8pm in June 4 I had a knock on the front door from the police.
''I had reported Natalie missing and it was the worst news I could probably have heard.
"No parent wants to hear the news my daughter was not coming home. I was totally devastated, shocked and broken.
"Natalie's son was at my house and it was so hard having to break the news to him. I lay on his bed cuddling him trying to console him looking out at the stars. He said to me 'that's where mummy is now - with the stars'.
"It hurt so much seeing a little boy so devastated, knowing his mummy, my daughter, was not coming home. He was off school for weeks and only started back gradually. This has had such an affect on his education, he's gone from being such a happy boy to being so withdrawn and suffers from regular panic attacks.
She added: "I've been made to sit through the trial which has been so hard, I've gone home in the evening and cried myself to sleep hearing what I have. Why did he put me through this? He fully admitted what he had done but didn't want to say the word guilty. Even when he took the witness stand he didn't appear to show any remorse.
"It was so cutting to hear him say: 'we all saw what happened' it sounded so callous, as though he didn't care.
"Whatever sentence he gets it will never bring my daughter back or Luis' mummy back - our hurt will continue for life. I just hope he never drives another truck as I don't want another family to suffer the way my family has suffered."
Philip Astbury, defending Stewart, told the court: "He's not an individual who simply shrugged this off or took it in his stride or moved on. It's had a profound impact on him.
"He talks about his depression, medication and feelings of guilt.
"He hopes and believes a custodial sentence will assist him in coming to terms because he will feel he had been punished for that.
Passing sentence Judge Heather Lloyd said: "You were so lax in your concentration and behaviour that day you did not notice the crossing or Miss Thorpe and you ignored the alarm constantly beeping.
";You failed to notice that the outrigger had become insecure from the three separate locking mechanisms that held it in place.
"It was not rocket science or a particularly difficult set of actions you had to take to stabilise that arm.
"This was no oversight, this was no mechanical failure, you quite simply ignored the training you had received over two courses.
"Had you made the most cursory visual checks or pulled on the arm you would have realised that the arm was not secure. No-one is to blame but you and as a result a family is left bereft and a child without his mother. You were wholly unfit to hold any job which held such responsibility.
"The drivers of heavy lorries on public roads carry a heavy responsibility… the consequences of failure are far higher than driving a car. You will miss the birth of your child but when you are released you can look forward to your future together. Ms Thorpe, her mother and her son, can never have that comfort."
After the case Joanna Ingle, senior crown prosecutor for the North West Complex Casework Unit said: "This is a tragic case whereby a woman has lost her life due to William Stewart's negligence. Drivers of HGV vehicles bear a heavy responsibility due to the sheer size of the vehicles, therefore it is imperative they comply with all necessary safety procedures before taking to our roads.
"William Stewart's driving that day fell far below that expected of a competent and careful driver with catastrophic results. This case highlights the horrific consequences which can occur when someone does not follow the correct safety procedures whilst driving a heavy goods vehicle.''
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368