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| Coventry supermarket death crash bus company fined £2.3m | Coventry supermarket death crash bus company fined £2.3m |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A bus company that ignored warnings about a driver who crashed into a supermarket, killing two people, has been fined £2.3m. | A bus company that ignored warnings about a driver who crashed into a supermarket, killing two people, has been fined £2.3m. |
| Midland Red (South) Ltd admitted health and safety breaches after Kailash Chander, now 80, accelerated into a Sainsbury's in Coventry in 2015. | Midland Red (South) Ltd admitted health and safety breaches after Kailash Chander, now 80, accelerated into a Sainsbury's in Coventry in 2015. |
| Chander, from Leamington Spa, was found to have been driving dangerously at a fact finding trial in September. | Chander, from Leamington Spa, was found to have been driving dangerously at a fact finding trial in September. |
| He could not be found guilty as he was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. | He could not be found guilty as he was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. |
| The bus company, which is part of the Stagecoach group, was sentenced alongside Chander, who was diagnosed with dementia after the crash, at a two-day hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. | The bus company, which is part of the Stagecoach group, was sentenced alongside Chander, who was diagnosed with dementia after the crash, at a two-day hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. |
| Judge Paul Farrer said "the failings of the company were a significant cause" of the crash. | Judge Paul Farrer said "the failings of the company were a significant cause" of the crash. |
| Warnings about Chander were "not enforced, and almost immediately ignored," he said. | Warnings about Chander were "not enforced, and almost immediately ignored," he said. |
| Chander was handed a two-year supervision order, meaning he will be monitored by a doctor. | Chander was handed a two-year supervision order, meaning he will be monitored by a doctor. |
| Seven-year-old Rowan Fitzgerald was riding on the top deck and died of a head injury when the bus crashed on Trinity Street on 3 October 2015. | Seven-year-old Rowan Fitzgerald was riding on the top deck and died of a head injury when the bus crashed on Trinity Street on 3 October 2015. |
| Chander had mistaken the accelerator for the brake. | Chander had mistaken the accelerator for the brake. |
| Rowan's mother, Natasha Wilson, said her son "had a heart of gold - he was our sunshine on hard days". | Rowan's mother, Natasha Wilson, said her son "had a heart of gold - he was our sunshine on hard days". |
| Pedestrian Dora Hancox, 76, died after being struck by the bus and a falling lamppost. | Pedestrian Dora Hancox, 76, died after being struck by the bus and a falling lamppost. |
| Her daughter Katrina said she felt "cheated as I never got to say goodbye to her". | Her daughter Katrina said she felt "cheated as I never got to say goodbye to her". |
| Phil Medlicott, managing director of Midland Red (South) Ltd said the company is "deeply sorry" and "bears the weight of our responsibility for this tragedy". | |
| "We deeply regret the opportunities that were missed to act decisively on emerging warning signs," he said. | |
| The bus company admitted failings including allowing Chander to work in excess of 70-hours a week and allowing him to continue working despite warnings about his driving. | The bus company admitted failings including allowing Chander to work in excess of 70-hours a week and allowing him to continue working despite warnings about his driving. |
| A trial of facts in September found Chander had been warned about his "erratic" driving by the company after four crashes in three years. | A trial of facts in September found Chander had been warned about his "erratic" driving by the company after four crashes in three years. |
| Chander's barrister Robert Smith told the court the former Leamington Spa mayor was "traumatised" by the crash and now requires full-time care. | Chander's barrister Robert Smith told the court the former Leamington Spa mayor was "traumatised" by the crash and now requires full-time care. |
| An expert told the court he may have been suffering from undiagnosed dementia at the time of the crash. | An expert told the court he may have been suffering from undiagnosed dementia at the time of the crash. |
| The company has "made several key changes", Mr Medlicott said, including stronger controls on working hours and more medical testing for drivers. | |
| "We cannot turn back the clock in this case, but we have done everything possible to learn lessons," he claimed. |