A PENSIONER visiting her husband's grave on their diamond anniversary was knocked over by a woman leaving a petrol station.

Isobelle Bailey had been pulling out of the Sainsbury’s filling station on Oxford Road when she failed to see the 78-year-old victim walking across the forecourt back to her car.

The wing mirror hit the woman’s shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground, and despite initially insisting she was okay to go home, the woman eventually called an ambulance and had to go to the hospital.

It had been one of the first times that the victim had left the house since the start of the pandemic as she was high-risk from Covid.

Bailey, of Charlotte Close in Shrivenham, admitted driving without due care and attention at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Monday in relation to the incident on December 6, 2020, having previously pleaded not guilty, and was given six points on her licence.

The court heard how the now 24-year-old had been stopped at a pump and was concentrating on a driver to her left, and which of them was going to leave first.

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But in doing so, she failed to notice the elderly lady crossing across the forecourt, prosecutor Roxy Cole said.

“She said she filled her car, was pulling out, and didn’t see the aggrieved to her left because of the pillar in her car," she said.

“When the impact occurred, she immediately got out of the car and offered to call an ambulance.”

Meanwhile, Ms Cole described how the incident had taken place around the height of the pandemic, with the victim leaving her house for one of the first times to visit her husband’s grave on what would have been their sixtieth anniversary.

The victim had looked left and right to check it was clear, but when she was crossing, said “she saw something to the right of her out of the corner of her eye”.

“She formed the view it was coming to her at speed. She says she wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way.”

In mitigation, Lee Mott reiterated that the pillar had obscured her view, and also that Bailey, a data analyst in London, had immediately stopped to check on the lady and had tried to phone in the hours following as she was worried.

“This incident has had a significant effect on Miss Bailey’s mental health. She drove a little way around the corner and was in bits.

"She could drive no further and has never driven since.”

He described his client as “one of those category of people that you see once in a lifetime”.

Passing sentence, chairman of the bench Mina Searles said: “We’ve given this very careful consideration.

"Clearly, on the day of the incident there was a high volume of pedestrians and traffic. Once you’re behind the wheel, it’s your responsibility.”

Bailey was given six points on her licence, and fined £540.

She must also pay compensation of £75, costs of £250 and a £54 victim surcharge.