A MERSEYSIDE pensioner accused of accidentally killing an elderly woman after driving into her on a supermarket car park was given a conditional discharge after a judge ruled he was not fit to stand trial because he has vascular dementia.

Leslie Jones, 77, was due to face trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with causing the death by dangerous driving of 81-year-old Kathleen Sheridan McNair on a supermarket car park in Wirral on July 28 last year.

But Judge Andrew Hatton found, on the medical evidence of three doctors, that Jones, of Lee Road, Hoylake, had vascular dementia now, and probably at the time of the accident, and was therefore unfit to enter a plea or stand trial.

The court heard that Jones, who attended the court building in a wheelchair but was not present in the court room, was said to be unable to recall the tragedy.

After the judge made his decision, a jury was brought in to hear a brief trial to decide whether Jones had caused the death of Mrs McNair.

Robert Jones, prosecuting, said: "She'd placed her shopping in her car and was in the process of returning the trolley to the trolley bay. Unhappily she never completed that journey.

"She was struck by a Citroen motor car before she reached the trolley park and tragically she was dragged underneath the vehicle. She sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead that afternoon."

Mr Jones read witness statements made by several people who were present at the Aldi store on Bridge Road, West Kirby, at 3pm that afternoon.

One woman spoke of screaming as she saw the Citroen Picasso people carrier hit Mrs McNair and how she could not believe the driver had not seen her.

She said the car then drove out of the car park with the lady underneath and then come to a rest over the road after mounting the kerb with her underneath.

A man said he saw Mrs McNair on the bonnet of the car before sliding underneath the wheel. He said he then joined win others in lifting the car off her before staff from Aldi gave her CPR but that to him she looked like she had already died.

Jurors took around 15 minutes to decide that Jones, who was wheeled in to court for the verdict, had committed the act.