Man charged over crash which killed Bedworth grandad

A man accused of causing the death of a popular Bedworth grandad by driving too fast will face trial next year.

Barry Carding, 71, died instantly when his Ford Fiesta collided with a van being driven by Luke Lee, 20, in Aldermans Green Road, Coventry, on March 23.

Mr Carding had recently retired after working for Coventry taxi maker LTI for 50 years.

Yesterday Lee, of Hospital Lane, Cannock, appeared at Coventry Crown Court for the first time since he was charged with causing the death of Mr Carding by dangerous driving.

Dressed in a grey suit Lee spoke to confirm his name before pleading not guilty to the charge.

He will return to court for a three-day trial next year. He is on unconditional bail.

Mr Carding’s family were in court to witness the short hearing.

They previously told the Telegraph that he had just dropped his grand-daughter off at school before heading off on a fishing trip with a 79-year-old friend, who was also hurt in the collision.

Barry’s wife Shirley said: “He was always active – his grand-daughter is seven and can’t understand why he’s not here if he wasn’t ill.

"We’re trying to explain it was because there was a car crash. She’s asking a lot of questions.

“He took our grand-daughter to school as normal and went to pick up his friend so they could get some bait and go fishing.

"I normally take our grand-daughter to school when he goes fishing but I went shopping with my sister in Nuneaton.

“He left the house that morning and said ‘ta-ra love.’ I saw him from the window as they drove off.”

Mr Carding retired from LTI six years ago after becoming one of the longest-serving employees at the firm.

He was taken on as an apprentice at LTI in 1954, at the same time as his twin Brian.

Barry served as a metal finisher, sheet metal worker, body repairer, body maker and paint shop tinsmith.

His daughter Dawn said: “He was devoted to his job and never worked anywhere else.”

Speeding driver jailed for causing death of Bedworth grandad



A SPEEDING driver has been jailed for causing the death of a grandad in a Coventry crash.

But relatives of 71-year-old Barry Carding have criticised the nine-month sentence handed to van driver Luke Lee.

Lee, 20, was sent down on Friday for causing a fatal smash at an accident blackspot in March last year.

Mr Carding, aged 71, of Bedworth, died instantly when the Vauxhall van Lee was driving slammed into his Ford Fiesta in Aldermans Green.

Mr Carding's distraught relatives said they were disappointed at the length of Lee’s sentence after the hearing at Coventry Crown Court.

In a statement they said: “We are disappointed that Luke Lee is only going to prison for nine months. He has a seven-month-old child who he will see. We will never see our husband/dad again.”

Lee admitted causing Mr Carding’s death by careless driving.

The court heard how Lee, who lives in Cannock, lost control of his van after speeding over a hump-backed canal bridge in Aldermans Green Road on March 11 last year.

He ignored road signs warning of speed restrictions, travelling at least 47mph in a 30mph zone before colliding into the driver’s side of the Ford Fiesta.

Prosecutor Neil Bannister said that before the fatal crash happened at 9.20am, Mr Carding had driven his granddaughter to school and collected a friend to go fishing.

Mr Carding and his friend had stopped to buy supplies at a fishing tackle shop in Aldermans Green Road and was performing a U-turn in the road when Lee approached the bridge.

Mr Bannister said: “Had the defendant been driving his van at or below 30 miles per hour, if the defendant had seen the signs along the road, he would have been able to bring the van to a halt before colliding with the Fiesta.”

He explained how although Mr Carding was performing a U-turn in the road, any vehicle turning right would have been struck by the speeding van.

Lee was arrested at the scene.

In police interview Lee said he was listening to a CD while he was driving, did not know the road was a 30mph zone and did not think he was speeding.

Lee admitted a charge of causing death by careless driving at an earlier hearing.

Mr Bannister read a victim impact statement in which one of Mr Carding’s daughters described him as the head of the family and was so close to his granddaughter she needed counselling after his death and wears a bracelet with one of his buttons on for comfort.

Mark Jones, defending, argued Lee – who has seven-month-old child – deserved a suspended prison sentence.

He said Lee had an uncle who died in a road traffic collision “and knew Mr Carding’s family may feel nothing but hatred towards him”.

“You are dealing with a man for whom this is his first serious offence that he has appeared in court for,” he added.

Judge Richard Griffith-Jones sentenced Lee to nine months in jail and banned him from driving for three years.

He said: “If I thought any sentence I gave could bring him [Mr Carding] back to life I would do so.

“In a short time, if only through reading, I know what a lovely and valued man he was.”