Overview

• Bradford Crown Court imposed a two-year prison term suspended for two years, a lifetime driving ban and a victim surcharge on Christopher Pattinson
• Court heard that Pattinson’s spastic paraparesis triggered an involuntary leg spasm, causing his Subaru to accelerate out of a junction and fatally strike ex-police officer Stuart McPherson
• No medical practitioner had advised Pattinson to cease driving before the crash and he voluntarily surrendered his licence a week later
• Marjorie McPherson, who was injured in the collision, described ongoing trauma and a lasting fear of returning to Skipton or driving
• North Yorkshire Police urged stricter fitness-to-drive checks and reinforced DVLA disclosure rules for motorists with medical conditions following the ruling