Landlord not guilty of careless driving
A LANDLORD involved in a fatal collision which resulted in the death of a pensioner has been found not guilty of driving without due care and attention.
Michael Pugh, 49, faced trial at Cardiff Crown Court having been accused of causing the death of pedestrian Sandra Stroud on November 30, 2019, in Cowbridge Road, Pontyclun. Mrs Stroud was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff but later died as a result of her injuries.
The trial heard Mr Pugh “struck” the victim with his silver Mitsubushi
ASX while she was on the way to a hair appointment.
The defendant told the court he was going to pick up his stepdaughter from the train station when the incident took place.
He said he didn’t see Mrs Stroud until she was in the middle of the road and said he was going “no more than 10mph”.
Mr Pugh, who denied the single charge he faced, added: “All of a sudden I saw Mrs Stroud in front of me with her arms up.
“I saw her fall backwards then I jumped out of the car. I started screaming to people on the street to call an ambulance. I was devastated. I couldn’t believe it.”
The jury retired to consider their verdict on Wednesday morning and later that day returned with a not guilty verdict on a count of causing death by driving without due care and attention.
Judge Rhys Rowlands told Mr Pugh, who is licensee at the Farmers Arms in Cowbridge, that he was free to leave the court and expressed his condolences to Mrs Stroud’s family.