April 24, 2017 4.19 pm This story is over 82 months old

Woman jailed for causing deadly crash while sending Facebook message

A woman has been jailed after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, having collided with two stationary vehicles while sending a Facebook message. Wendy Thompson, 53, a sales representative of Windsor Way, Barnetby, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in London to causing death by dangerous driving and to causing serious injury by…

A woman has been jailed after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, having collided with two stationary vehicles while sending a Facebook message.

Wendy Thompson, 53, a sales representative of Windsor Way, Barnetby, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in London to causing death by dangerous driving and to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

She was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment, and was disqualified from driving for 10 years.

Emergency services were called to a crash on the A406 in Barnet on February 3, 2016.

A VW Passat being driven by Thompson had collided with a Ford Fiesta, which had broken down in lane one, and a red Hyundai Getz that had stopped to provide assistance.

A man and his wife were inside the Hyundai.

The 84-year-old driver, Rodney Lewis from Enfield, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as head injuries and a broken neck.

Mr Lewis’ 77-year-old wife – a passenger in the Hyundai – was taken to a north London hospital for treatment to a broken hip and pelvis.

She has since been discharged from hospital.

Thompson was not seriously injured in the collision.

She was arrested and admitted to police that she had been sending a Facebook message on her phone and trying to plug the phone into a charger when the collision happened.

She was convicted and sentenced as above on Monday, April 24.