Van driver sentenced for M5 death of Tuffley grandmother

A VAN driver who missed two warning signs collided with a grandmother, whose broken down car was stranded in the middle lane of the M5.

Today Worcester Crown Court heard how motorists narrowly missed Barbara Chatterton's Mazda MX-5 near Strensham, but Ukraininan delivery driver Yuriy Lopatyuk didn't see two flashing matrix signs telling drivers lanes two and three were closed.

By the time he saw her hazard lights flashing it was too late and Mrs Chatterton from Tuffley was killed, in July last year.

Married father-of-one Lopatyuk, 35, admitted causing the death by careless driving of the mother-of-three and grandmother-of-six.

Her son Chris, a city councillor, was in court with other members of her family to see Lopatyuk sentenced to 12 months' jail, suspended for 18 months.

"We are not vengeful, it was never about that," said Mr Chatterton afterwards. "It's about somebody taking responsibility. We are grateful he pleaded guilty and he accepted responsibility for he had done, and has apologised.

"It's of no consequence to us what the sentence was."

Lopatyuk was also banned from driving for 18 months, must do 300 hours unpaid work and pay £1,200 towards prosecution costs.