The contact lens killer: Short-sighted driver who ran over a grandmother is fined JUST £50

Jamie Wood, 21, hit 61-year-old grandmother Lesley Lomax as she crossed the road.

He told police he saw her too late to avoid a collision and was charged with driving without due care and attention. He was fined £50.

Although Wood had not been speeding and was not under the influence or drink or drugs, Mrs Lomax's devastated family had expected him to receive a severe punishment.

Fatal collision: Jamie Wood (left) killed Lesley Lomax when he drove wearing out-of-date contact lenses

Her widower John, 66, said he was stunned when Wood was punished with less than the cost of a speeding ticket for knocking down and killing his wife of 38 years.

'I feel angry at him and I just feel that he has got away with it almost scot-free,' said Mr Lomax, a retired miner.

'He didn't apologise but his solicitor apologised in court. The police actually phoned me and they were as shocked as I was at the leniency of the sentence.

'He has got away lighter than someone who goes a few miles over the speed limit.

'I knew he couldn't be jailed, but I expected the court to at least ban him from driving, take his licence off him and make him take his test again and give him a hefty fine.'

During an earlier inquest into Mrs Lomax's death, it was revealed that Wood had been wearing old contact lenses at the time of the collision which were too weak to correct his shortsightedness.

Wood, a student from Barnsley, used to have contact lenses sent to him each month, but they were stopped months before the accident when he failed to have regular check-ups.

Tests found his eyesight had deteriorated since his last set of lenses were issued.

However, his sight was not raised as an issue during the subsequent hearing before Barnsley magistrates where he admitted the driving charge.

Mrs Lomax, a retired cleaner from Barnsley, had been visiting a sick aunt in the town when she was knocked down outside the hospital in October last year.

Wood, who hopes to become a music teacher, was taking four friends to a band practice session when the accident happened. He said there was lots of talking in the car at the time.

A police inquiry confirmed his claim that he was not speeding. The court heard one of his passengers began to shout 'watch out there's a person' a split second before impact.

Mrs Lomax died after suffering multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and pelvis.

Ian Giggal, prosecuting, told the court: 'It is suggested that the defendant should have seen the pedestrian crossing the road at the same time as some of the passengers had.'

Laura Mitchell, defending, said Wood was still haunted by the accident and had given up driving because he could not face getting behind the wheel again.

'There are no words that he can offer, no apology that would ease the suffering of the family of Mrs Lomax, but he does wish them to know how sorry he is for what happened that night.

'It was a momentary lapse of concentration. It was not a case of speeding.

'Whatever punishment the court imposes pales into insignificance with the guilt he lives with and the knowledge that he caused the death of Mrs Lomax.'

Wood was ordered to pay £60 costs on top of his fine. His licence was endorsed with four penalty points.

The maximum fine for this offence is £2,500.