Prison for driver who caused fatal crash

Dorothy Adams, 80, died at the scene of the accident on the A2100 London Road, Mountfield, when the car she was travelling in collided with an HGV, which was performing a U-turn in the road.

Her husband Peter, who was driving the car, suffered serious internal injuries in the accident, which happened just after 5.30pm on December 4 last year.

Lorry driver Gerald Nigel Franklin, 58, appeared at Lewes Crown Court last Friday (August 10) and pleaded guilty to one charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard that Franklin, who had previously served in the Royal Marines, had written to Mr Adams expressing his remorse.

Franklin, from Clwyd in Wales, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and disqualified from driving for five years.

He must take a retest before he is allowed to drive again.

Speaking after Franklin was sentenced, Mr Adams, who is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the crash, paid tribute to his wife.

He said: “She was a much-loved wife, mother and grandmother.

“We were married for 55 years.

“She is sadly missed after all that time.”

Mrs Adams was a committed Christian and was a member of the congregation at the Beulah Baptist Church in Bexhill.

As well as being a regular church-goer, she had been a health visitor and district nurse in the Bexhill and Eastbourne areas.

Mrs Adams also volunteered for the Hope Trust in Hastings, helping at the soup kitchen in Wellington Square in the town.

The charity looks after the homeless, street drinkers and those struggling to come off drugs.

Mrs Adams is survived by her children, Geoffrey, Penny and Stephen, and three grandchildren.