Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
220 hours community service for great-gran’s road death
Careless driver admits fatal crash
A CARELESS driver who caused the death of a great-grandmother was handed 220 hours of community service yesterday. Father-of-three Quin Long Guo, 35, was also banned from the road for a year over the collision involving 75-year-old Sunday school teacher Norma Diffley. He admitted causing the accident on a stretch of the A2 Bangor to Belfast dual carriageway known as the Devil’s Elbow. Judge Brian Sherrard said: “Mr Guo, by your careless driving, you have deprived our community of a cherished and valued member. “I consider it appropriate to require you to put something back into our community in the hope of restoring something positive out of this dreadful event.” The hearing was also told of the lasting impact Mrs Diffley’s death has had on her family and in particular her two daughters and granddaughter, who were handed a letter written by Guo. The court heard the accused crossed on to the wrong side of the road in his Volkswagen Tiguan and into the lane of the victim’s Suzuki jeep. Mrs Diffley, a boutique owner from Groomsport, Co Down, died at the scene on January 4 last year. A prosecution lawyer said the crash occurred close to Carney Hill shortly after 2pm in a 50mph zone. As Mrs Diffley was driving her jeep to Belfast, Guo’s car crossed the central white line and veered into her path. The front of both cars collided and it was not known if the pensioner was wearing a seat belt. A lawyer said when the scene was examined by a forensics expert, he concluded speed was not an issue and neither cars were defective. The expert added the collision occurred “due to a period of inattention by the defendant, or a period of time he was not able to control his car”. A lawyer told Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, Guo said he was driving to Bangor then “just bang, I don’t know what happened”. He was treated for minor injuries and later arrested. A defence barrister said Guo, from Springfield Road in Bangor, Co Down, is hard-working family employed in a Chinese restaurant in the town. He told the collision was down to a “momentary lapse of attention”, adding: “He suffers from nightmares and the accident continues to haunt him.”