No Jail for Killer Drivers

Motorists who cause death by careless driving could avoid prison terms under new sentencing proposals.

Under current rules, most drivers who cause death by dangerous driving are imprisoned.

When a death is caused by driving which is careless, a law passed in November will allow for a maximum prison term of five years.

Today, however, it emerged that the Sentencing Guidelines Council has recommended the new crime of causing death by careless driving should carry a community sentence in the least serious cases.

Families of accident victims, including that of Callum Deacon, 12, who was hit by a motorbike and killed in Asquith Way, near his home in Saffron Lane estate, Leicester, in 2004, had campaigned for the new law.

The motorcyclist admitted careless driving and received a £2,000 fine and four points on his licence.