A DRIVER with a history of eyesight problems has been jailed after he killed a 72-year-old grandmother who was crossing the road.

Mary Eiddwen Phillips died of her injuries in hospital following the collision, which happened in Llywelyn Road, Cwmbran in November 2020.

In statements read to the court, family members paid tribute to a “special kind of person” who had “unconditional” love for her children and five grandchildren.

The defendant, Jordan Horder, was jailed for 21 months for causing death by careless driving, after the court heard he had longstanding vision problems and was “basically blind” in one eye.

Mrs Phillips had been on her way to buy chocolates when the crash happened at a pelican crossing near Cwmbran’s Asda supermarket, at around 7pm on Friday, November 27, 2020.

She started to make her way across the road, at the crossing, despite the traffic lights being green for oncoming vehicles, the court heard.

Horder stopped his vehicle immediately and got out to phone 999, the court was told, and a passing off-duty paramedic stopped to help Mrs Phillips.

The 72-year-old was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards of her injuries, including a skull fracture.

The court heard conditions were overcast at the time of the collision, and while the road surface was damp it was in “good” condition.

But Eugene Egan, prosecuting, said Horder, now 29, had a history of vision problems and his eyesight was “very poor” in his right eye.

The defendant was declared “fit to drive” at an eye test in August 2020 but his condition “deteriorated” between then and November, and “his visual acuity on the night was significantly diminished”.

When police officers later tested Horder’s ability to read a number plate in similar conditions and at a similar time of day to the collision, the defendant could only do so at a distance of 5.5 metres (18 feet).

Several of Mrs Phillips’ relatives read out statements to the court.

Her eldest child, David Johnson, said the family’s lives “had been turned upside down” by her death.

“My mum loved life and lived it to the full,” he said. “When I said goodbye, I felt an overwhelming sense of loss and regret.”

Mrs Phillips’ daughter, Tracy Johnson, said the night of the collision “will stay with me forever”.

“Our mum was our biggest supporter,” she said. “We miss her every day.”

Two of Mrs Phillips’ granddaughters also spoke in court.

“Not a day goes by when I don’t think of her,” one said, adding that her grandmother was a “permanent person in all our lives”.

“We hold onto her memory and carry her in our hearts,” another granddaughter added. “There will forever be an empty seat at our table.”

In mitigation, Heath Edwards, defending, said Horder was “utterly devastated by the consequences” of his actions and “voices his deepest regret”.

“If he could turn back the hands of time – if there was a sentence that could turn back the hands of time – that’s something he would gladly do,” Mr Edwards said.

He also told the court the car Horder had been driving was “extremely roadworthy” and said “any competent driver” would have been ”shocked” had a pedestrian “hurried” across the road “when the lights were green”.

Horder pleaded guilty to one charge of death by careless driving on the day he was due to stand trial.

Judge Michael Fitton told Horder he had committed a “serious failure” on the night of the collision because he had “failed to keep the deterioration of your eyesight and your responsibility as a driver under review”.

That Horder had driven in such conditions, when his eyesight was limited to around 5.5 metres, was “truly shocking”, the judge added.

Horder, of The Crescent, Cwmbran, was also disqualified from driving for three years and 10 and a half months.