THE PERSHORE families of two victims of a head-on car crash spoke this week of their disgust at the driving ban imposed on the woman involved.

Timothy Hill, aged 26 died, and his friend, 30-year-old Dean Andrews suffered severe head injuries and has been hospitalised ever since, unable to feed, dress or wash himself.

Katherine Dawkes, whose Land Rover was in collision with their Capri as she overtook a lorry on the A4538 last April, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving but found guilty of careless driving and given a 12-month driving ban and £1,000 fine.

She told police at the time: "I didn't think it was safe but I thought it might be possible." Despite the judge at Worcester Crown Court saying the offence was "carelessness of a pretty high order," he added that there was no custodial sentence for careless driving.

Dean's mother Gillian Andrews said they had all been devastated by the court's decision. She said: "She should still apologise in some way or another for taking a chance. We thought she would get more than she got."

Dean's step-brother, Edward, said Dean had been a father-figure to him. "I would do a life sentence just to get my brother back as he was," he said. The 30-year-old father of three, is being cared for in Evesham Community Hospital and will be in a nursing home until the family home in Mayfield Road has been converted to accommodate him.

Mrs Andrews said she still finds it hard to see the son who was once a Jack the lad only able to acknowledge her with smiles and nods. She said: "I am worried about the rest of his life. I get weepy but I just think I have to get over this. At the end of the day I am grateful to still have him."

Claire Tierney, the mother of Dean's three-year-old son Jacob, said she was now re-living the whole nightmare. She said she would like Katherine Dawkes to go and see Dean, and ask her never to drive again.

Emma Hill, the wife of Timothy, said she had lost her husband, father of her two children and her best friend. She said their eldest daughter Gracen, aged eight, wrote a letter to Katherine Dawkes which she wasn't going to post to express how she was feeling.

"I wish she had got a lifetime ban," Mrs Hill said. "I don't think it's fair that she walked out of the court and we were all left there in disbelief. A 12-month ban is ridiculous. Outside the court I did say to her 'You have not once apologised' and she did not even turn around."

Driver of the Capri, 27-year-old Peter Prosser from Worcester received serious leg injuries in the collision and needs crutches to walk.