AN elderly motorist who caused the death of a Pershore man has been spared an immediate jail sentence.

Judge Andrew Geddes suspended an eight-month sentence for two years on 77-year-old Patricia Clarke and disqualified her from driving for life at Worcester Crown Court after she nodded off at the wheel.

Clarke, of Brook Lane, King's Heath, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to causing the death of 41-year-old James Carr, of Mill Lane Close, by dangerous driving on Sunday, May 25, last year.

He was killed instantly when Clarke's Peugeot 306 crossed a double white line on the Pershore to Upton Road and hit his motorcycle, said Miss Samantha Forsyth, prosecuting.

Mr Carr was thrown on the roof of the Peugeot and then into the road.

Clarke, who had her 80-year-old husband and their dog in the car, suffered a broken hip and pelvis and was in hospital for eight weeks.

Lawrence Watts, defending, said she was tired after looking after her husband, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, and 'just nodded off' as she drove to their caravan.

She had been her husband's sole carer but he was now in a hospice. She felt great remorse and shame about the accident, which had devastated Mr Carr's family.

Judge Geddes said it was a tragedy for everyone concerned. He said there were exceptional circumstances in which he could suspend the period of custody.