A LLANILAR pensioner has escaped a driving ban despite ploughing his car through bollards at the Morrisons car park in Aberystwyth - breaking a man’s ankle and injuring a child.

Robert Allan Pearson, of Gorwel, Rhos y Garth, initially denied driving without due care and attention at Llanelli magistrates’ court on Wednesday, 14 September, but changed his plea to guilty ahead of a case management hearing at Aberystwyth on 6 October.

Pearson, 81, was fined £100 and given four points on his driving licence after pleading guilty to “driving his red Peugeot 108 in Morrisons car park, Aberystwyth without due care and attention”.

The court heard that two pedestrians were walking along the outside of the Morrisons front entrance pushing a trolley containing a child.

“The defendant approached the pedestrian area but lost control of his vehicle and collided with bollards. The vehicle then collided with the two adult pedestrians and caused the child in the shopping trolley to be knocked to the floor,” the court heard.

“Another pedestrian had to jump out of the way to avoid the car, and was hit by one of the broken bollards.

“The defendant’s car then continued through the pedestrian area through more bollards, colliding with a parked vehicle before coming to a rest 45 metres away.”

“As a result of the collision, a slight injury was received by one of the pedestrians pushing the shopping trolley consisting of pain to her left abdomen,” the court heard.

“The other pedestrian pushing the trolley received a serious injury consisting of a broken ankle.

“The child thrown from the shopping trolley received injuries consisting of bruising to his right knee and right of his body.

“The pedestrian forced to jump out of the way of the defendant’s vehicle received a slight injury to his ankle which was bruised and swollen.

“The defendant’s vehicle received frontal damage, the parked vehicle received a damaged nearside door.”

Four police cars, three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, an air ambulance and a fire engine attended the incident in May this year.

As well as the fine and points on his licence, Pearson was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30.

No compensation was ordered because it would “not appropriate” as insurance companies are involved, the court heard.