Man jailed for killing couple in Carlisle by careless driving

A 49-year-old man has been jailed for 18 months for causing the death of a couple in Carlisle by careless driving.

Terry Abson and his partner Gina Lands were crossing West Tower Street when they were struck by a van on 1st March 2021.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that the pair began crossing while the pedestrian light was still red but Marc Large drove through the lights on amber.

In his defence, Mr Large claimed to have been blinded by a low sun on his approach to the lights and did not see the couple crossing.

Large, who's from Sunderland, was heard shouting ‘what have I done’ in the immediate aftermath.

In his remarks, the judge said Large had not set out to do wrong but made a conscious decision to undertake an unsafe manouvre by attempting to go through the light on amber.

Large was sentenced to 18 months and has also been banned from driving for two years.

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