Too Fat For Jail?

A 30-stone motorist who killed a jogger when she jumped a red light has begged a judge not to send her to jail because she is too fat. Unemployed Linda Ann Jenns mowed down 45-year-old Paul Stinton in her white Ford Kuga after ignoring the red signal in Ashford, Kent. The 49-year-old begged to be spared prison after being convicted of causing his death by dangerous driving at Canterbury Crown Court. Her barrister Ian Bridge said 'morbidly obese' Jenns hoped to get a gastric band and would not be able to cope with life behind bars. Keep going for more

He said she had a stroke seven years ago and at the time of the crash was receiving treatment for her weight problem.

Mr Bridge said she had lost between five and six stone and was hoping for a gastric band to be fitted which would have increased her life expectancy quite dramatically.'As it is she is grossly overweight, morbidly obese and since the incident has put on even more weight,' he said.'She is a person for whom a prison sentence would be extraordinarily difficult and I don't think I exaggerate when I say she might not get through it.'Judge Heather Norton adjourned sentence for two weeks pending medical reports and granted Jenns bail.But she warned Jenns, of Ashford, Kent, that she faced 'an almost certain' jail sentence for the offence - and also gave her an interim driving ban. 

The jury had heard evidence from a number of of motorists and shoppers waiting near a retail park, on a wet winter's day in January 2014.One of them, Debbie Lange told the court: 'I was sitting talking with my daughter when a grey van came hurtling past my car in the outside lane of the dual carriageway. 'It shook my car which made me look up and it went through the red light. Two seconds later a white car came past at speed and straight through the red traffic light.'I then noticed something flying up in the air. I wasn't sure what it was until I saw some arms and legs."I said to my daughter: 'My goodness, did you see that?' I realised then it was a person.'I hadn't seen him before but I had noticed that there were some people at the lights waiting to cross.' He told the trial: 'We say that she drove at a speed which was too fast for the road conditions or contrary to traffic signals on the traffic lights.'It is the Crown's case that it was the driving as a whole which fell far below the standards of a competent and careful driver.'Mr Stinton was taken to hospital by Air Ambulance suffering from head, chest, neck and abdominal injuries and died three weeks later.  

Source: Daily Mail UK