The family of a Blaenporth pensioner who died after he was hit by a car while crossing the road have hit out at the handling of the case and sentence given to the driver of the car.

Ninety-year-old Barrie Taylor died after he was hit by a car being driven by Alan Amarananda Nagiah on 24 November as he was crossing the A487.

Nagiah was sentenced in magistrates’ court by district judge David Parsons and was given an 18-month driving ban and fined £655.

But Mr Taylor’s daughters have criticised that decision and said the case should never have been dealt with in magistrates’ court.

They insisted that Mr Taylor had not received “justice” and said they felt his death had been “trivialised and treated as a minor incident which has been brushed aside”.

Mr Taylor’s daughters, Leonie Parrish and Claire Rowsell, said they had been told the case would be heard in crown court and so missed the hearing where 76-year-old Nagiah pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in magistrates’ court.

They have also criticised the sentence imposed on Nagiah, saying the 18-month driving ban is “far too lenient” and is “inadequate and an insult” to Mr Taylor’s family.

During the magistrates’ court hearing, a victim impact statement from the family was not read out and, as there were no members of Mr Taylor’s family present, they could not “represent” Mr Taylor.

District judge Parsons ruled that Nagiah had suffered a “momentary lapse of concentration”.

Mrs Parrish said: “My sister and I are deeply shocked and insulted by this outcome.

“We feel our father’s death has been trivialised and treated as a minor incident which has been brushed aside and the case belittled."

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