A HEALTHCARE worker who has spent most of her life helping elderly patients was found to be responsible for causing the death of a pensioner.

Rosemina Stansbury, of Cavendish Gardens, Winnersh, was due to collect her daughter from Wokingham station on May 2 last year when she turned right onto Station Approach and collided with a blue Vauxhall Corsa.

Diane Trindler, 74, who was driving the Corsa, suffered two broken legs, developed sepsis and died following an operation at Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Although Stansbury, 61, was wearing her glasses at the time of the collision, she had been diagnosed with a mild cataract and had not changed her glasses in four years.

Isabel Delamere, prosecuting at Reading Crown Court on Friday, August 25, explained: "The defendant was turning right onto Station Approach off Reading Road.

"It was not a momentary lapse in concentration. She saw the other car and wrongly believed she had right of way.

"She drove her black Mercedes A180 into the side of the car, causing both vehicles to collide with a traffic island and both cars were subsequently written off."

Mrs Trindler died in hospital two weeks later after her heart and liver started to fail.

Her son, Mark Trindler, said Stansbury should be spared jail, believing the guilt of causing his mother's death would be painful enough for her to live with.

Andrew Storch, mitigating, said: "Mrs Trindler was just the sort of person the defendant has helped dozens of times during her career.

"She is awaiting heart bypass surgery and has suffered from panic attacks ever since."

Judge Alexia Durran, sentencing, added: "You demonstrated a frivolous attitude towards your eye sight and the impact it would have on other road users.

"A responsible driver would have been more thoughtful and your previous convictions for speeding suggest you have a similarly poor attitude towards driving."

Stansbury admitted to causing death by careless driving and was handed a 10 month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was disqualified from driving for three years.

She will be required to take an extended driving test and undertake a rehabilitation requirement for 20 days.