Taxi driver who left great-grandmother to 'die in the dark' after dropping her off jailed

A taxi driver who ran over a pensioner and drove off without reporting it has been sentenced to three years in prison.

David Evans, formerly of Tynwald Street in Douglas, was sentenced at the Isle of Man Courts of Justice having been found guilty of death by careless driving.

The taxi driver hit and reversed over 73-year-old Carolyn Buchan at around 1am on 20 March after dropping her off at her home.

Mrs Buchan was left to "die in the dark" in the street for six hours before her body was found by a neighbour just after 7am outside her home on Marathon Avenue, Douglas.

After examining the body, the pathologist’s report states how the great-grandmother would have died quickly and rapid medical attention would have unlikely been successful.

Mr Evans was arrested after police officers reviewed CCTV footage nearby.

After the incident, the 66-year-old taxi driver told police officers that he helped her out of his taxi and watched as she walked towards her house before writing down the fare and driving away.

Mr Evans was in fact found to have reversed into the great-grandmother, crushing her under his vehicle, before driving off and continuing to pick up fares later that evening.

The court heard that Mr Evans admitted what had happened after being presented with the results of forensic examination from his Mercedes Vito which found blood, and hair, on the underside of the vehicle.

The taxi driver was also found guilty of committing an act against public justice by giving police an incorrect statement designed to mislead the investigation.

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Buchan’s granddaughter said how her family member had been left to die alone in the dark "so close to the safety of her own home".

In court, Mrs Buchan’s daughter said that: "No sentence will ever, in my opinion, justify his actions on the night in question."

Her family have previously said how Mrs Buchan had "so much life in her and so much to live for".

After sentencing, Deemster Graeme Cook said how Mr Evans' behaviour was "incomprehensible” and added that “you were more interested in self-preservation."

"Nobody should die that way. That was down to you," Deemster Graeme Cook added.