THE distraught widow of a man killed in a car crash is "devastated" at the sentence given to the driver whose overtaking manoeuvre preceded the accident.

Katherine Dawkes' Land Rover overtook a lorry on the A4538 between Warndon and Spetchley, near Worcester, when she collided with a Ford Capri.

Twenty-six-year-old father-of-two Timothy Hill, of Cherry Orchard, Pershore, a passenger in the Capri, died instantly after being flung from the back seat of the car.

Dawkes, a doctor's wife, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving by a jury at Worcester Crown Court on Friday but found guilty of careless driving.

Judge Michael Mott fined her £1,000 and banned her from driving for 12 months.

Speaking after the case, Timothy's widow Emma, aged 29, of Cherry Orchard, Pershore said she and Timothy's parents Eric and Adrien, both aged 60, of Hatfield Lane, Norton, were "absolutely devastated" at the sentence passed.

They are also angry Dawkes, aged 36, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, had not apologised to them.

"Myself and Tim's parents did not think the sentence was strong enough," she said.

"We would have been happy with a driving ban for life but what can we do?

"She has never once apologised to myself or the family and that has caused a lot of hostility. Just a humane apology would have been nice.

"We are all shattered and absolutely devastated by the whole thing - we are just worn out now."

"At the end of the day they are saying his life is only worth the £1,000 fine which was imposed on her which seems a bit ridiculous really," said Eric Hill.

"She was fined just £1,000 and yet we have lost our son."

Dean Andrews, also from Pershore, who was in the front seat of the Capri, has been in a vegetative state since the crash on April 21 last year.

Peter Prosser, 27, of Hatfield Bank, Norton, the driver of the Capri, is still on crutches from leg injuries.

Emma met Timothy, a car mechanic, when they both moved to Norton as teenagers and lived around the corner from each other.

Timothy's enjoyed skiing and often combined his love of cars and travel, making trips to Italy to buy and sell classic cars.

They were married for five years and have two daughters, Gracen, eight, and Paris, three.

"He was a very popular person and we spent a lot of time together," said Emma.

"He was a good husband as well as my best friend and he was always at hand to help people when they needed it.

"When you have known a person so long you will always miss them - he was half of my life really."

n Opinion: P6