Bus death trial collapses

THE trial of a bus driver charged with causing the death of a city pensioner collapsed on its opening day.

Craig Robinson appeared at Coventry Crown Court on Monday after 71-year-old David Thompson was hit by a bus at a shared-space junction in the city centre in January last year.

The 45-year-old faced a charge of causing death by driving without due care and attention but walked free after a key witness changed their original statement.

Mr Robinson, from New Arley in North Warwickshire, was reported to be very relieved with the outcome and offered his sympathies to the family of Mr Thompson.

Mr Thompson died in hospital in February, a month after being hit by the single-decker Stagecoach bus driven by Mr Robinson. The junction, in Hales Street, had just seen traffic lights and road markings removed.

Sector crown prosecutor Graham Hubbard told us: "On the first day of the trial a key witness provided evidence to the court which was not contained in their original statement.

"As part of our duty to keep cases under constant review, we reassessed this new information and a decision was made not to proceed with the prosecution."

The council's head of city services, Lindsley Harvard, added: "Our sympathy is with the family for their loss. We constantly monitor the road network and will continue to monitor the whole city centre very closely."

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