A DPD delivery driver has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after his careless driving resulted in the death of a beloved grandmother in Northumberland.
Tragic incident in Haltwhistle car park
James Murdoch, 43, was reversing his work van in a car park outside a Haltwhistle residential home on January 27, 2023, when he caused 77-year-old Victoria Blair to fall and suffer serious injuries. The Chester-le-Street resident was using a replacement van that lacked safety features usually present in his regular vehicle.
Mrs Blair was taken to hospital following the collision but never regained consciousness. She died in hospital exactly one week later on February 3, leaving behind four children and seven grandchildren.
Safety features missing from replacement van
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Murdoch's usual van was equipped with a reversing camera, parking sensors and an audio alarm. However, on the day of the incident, his regular vehicle had a fault, and he was allocated another van from the franchise owner that lacked these crucial safety features.
Judge Julie Clemitson told the court: "Had you been driving that van it seems very likely this tragedy would have been avoided." She noted that Murdoch had parked in a way that brought him close to his delivery destination, a practice common among delivery drivers.
The fatal moments before reversal
The court heard detailed evidence about the moments leading up to the tragedy. Murdoch had been stationary in his van for one minute and 43 seconds while recording his deliveries and checking his next stop.
During this time, Mrs Blair emerged from a back street and crossed the road toward her home. Judge Clemitson explained that the grandmother, who used a walker, likely paused to assess how to navigate around the parked van given the absence of drop kerbs in the area.
Despite checking his mirrors, Murdoch failed to spot Mrs Blair in his blind spot before reversing. The judge stated: "Your van either knocked her over on making contact with her or her walker, or was so close to doing so that Victoria Blair fell as she tried to avoid being struck."
Family devastation and court proceedings
Victoria Blair's son, Matthew, described receiving "a call that would change every minute of every day for the rest of my life." He poignantly added that his mother "cruelly, she never regained consciousness and passed before any of us got to say how much we loved her, or even say goodbye."
Her daughter, Alexandra Blair, told the court that her mother "didn't lose her life through old age or illness" but rather "had her life taken from her when she still had many, many years left." Both children expressed frustration that Murdoch had shown "no remorse or sympathy" during the lengthy court proceedings.
Following a trial in September, Murdoch was found guilty of causing death by careless driving. In addition to his 16-month prison sentence, he was disqualified from driving for 20 months.
Aftermath and investigation
The court heard that Murdoch stayed briefly to help treat Mrs Blair but then continued with his delivery route. Police later located him in the centre of Haltwhistle.
Defence lawyer Robin Patton stated that his client "started a petition to see if the law can be changed so delivery vans which do not have clear class vision at the rear must be required to have reversing cameras."
Sergeant Andrew Ferguson of Northumbria Police, who led the investigation, expressed his "deepest sympathies to Victoria's family" and praised their "significant strength throughout the lengthy investigation."
The case highlights the critical importance of vehicle safety features and thorough checks by drivers, particularly when operating larger vehicles in areas frequented by pedestrians.
