This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A lorry driver who knocked a Labour peer off his mobility scooter and killed him has avoided jail.

Lord Taylor of Blackburn was on a zebra crossing outside the House of Lords when a heavy goods vehicle crashed into him in November 2016. The 87-year-old suffered severe head injuries and died in hospital.

Kul Pandey, 56, a former Nepalese Gurkha from Feltham in west London, pleaded guilty to causing Taylor’s death by careless driving. He was given a 24-week jail sentence suspended for two years and 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.

Sentencing him at the Old Bailey, Judge Anuja Dhir QC said: “The man you killed was Lord Taylor of Blackburn. He was 87 years old, an active member of the House of Lords and a family man.

“All road users should feel safe, but those using a pedestrian crossing ought to feel completely protected because drivers should expect that people will be using them and should take particular care.

“The size of the vehicle you were driving and the weather conditions on that day should have meant that you were even more careful than you would normally be. You were not.”