Death driver’s sentence appeal fails
The widower of a woman killed by a careless driver has branded attempts by him to get his sentence cut as “disgusting”.
Tony Hayward, who had been with his wife Susan for 40 years, said he felt sick when he was told Ian Harvey had appealed against the length of his twoyear sentence after admitting causing her death.
Mrs Hayward, 56, from Chatham, died in December 2015 when the 24-year-old crashed into the Ford Focus she was travelling in.
Harvey, a soldier, lost control of his car as he sped over a hill in Higham. He hit the Focus travelling in the opposite direction, which contained Mrs Hayward, her husband, his brother, Mark, and his sister-in-law wife Christine.
Harvey admitted causing the death of Mrs Hayward by careless driving after confessing at the scene of the crash that it was his fault but was cleared of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.
At the Appeal Court in London, Harvey’s legal team said the two-year sentence was too harsh and should be reduced. However, appeal judges disagreed and dismissed the application, stating the sentence was not “manifestly excessive”.
Mr Hayward said: “He only got two years. What he did affects us for the rest of our lives. He should have got more.”