Driver fined for Sompting lollypop lady accident

Nigel Humphrey, 50, from Belvedere Avenue, Lancing, narrowly missed crashing into 44-year-old Anne Ford and hit her 'lollypop' with his Landrover as she stood terrified in the middle of West Street, Sompting, last July.

Humphrey admitted an offence of failing to stop at a school crossing patrol when he appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court this morning.

Jacqueline Staveley, prosecuting, said Mrs Ford, a lollypop lady for almost 13 years, was helping parents and children from White Styles Middle School (now Sompting Village Primary School) to cross the road when she noticed Humphrey's Landrover approaching her.

Frozen on the spot

Although the parents and children had safely crossed, Mrs Ford, who was standing frozen in the road, realised the Landrover was not going to stop and held her six-foot sign out in front of her to try and halt Humphrey's car.

Humphrey smashed into the sign, causing "a loud bang", and continued past, said Mrs Staveley.

In a statement, Mrs Ford said: "When I close my eyes at night, I can still see what happened. I'm so scared I will get hurt one day.

"I want people to realise the dangers of this appalling behaviour before me or a child gets killed."

Adam Langrish, defending, said Humphrey, a shopkeeper who also runs an electrical wiring business, was driving his 16-year-old daughter to a concert when he spotted Mrs Ford in the road, but believed she was walking across to the pavement.

He said Humphrey "deeply regretted" the matter and accepted he should have stopped his car.

Magistrate Brian Peters fined Humphrey 350, endorsed his driving licence with three points and told him to pay 70 costs and a 15 victim surcharge.

Speaking outside the court, Mrs Ford, said she felt lucky to be alive after the collision but called for more action to be taken against offenders.

She said: "If I had been going back to the pavement where I should have been, it would have been me, not the pole.

"I would like to see more people taken to court.

"In the 12 years I've been doing it, I've reported so many. This is the first time someone's ever been prosecuted.

"With the amount of school crossing patrols, if nothing is done one of us is going to get hit or a child is going to get hit and killed."

Robert Lee, from West Sussex County Council, said the council was investigating the possibility of 800 cameras being installed in lollypops in dangerous areas to photograph people who didn't stop at school crossings.

And he added that a new publicity campaign had been launched warning people that failing to stop at school crossing patrols is the same as driving through a red traffic light.

He said: "I'm pleased we got a successful prosecution.

"Hopefully that will send a message out across West Sussex that children's safety is paramount and Anne Ford was only doing her job."

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