A motorist who ran over a young woman collapsed on a Wirral roadway inflicting fatal injuries was today convicted of causing her death by careless driving.

A jury took just two hours to unanimously find 57-year-old Christine Hannah guilty of the offence, which she had denied.

Fining her £2,000 plus £2,000 prosecution costs Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said that the incident was towards the lower end of the scale of such offences and had involved a “momentary” failure to achieve the expected standard of driving.

The 29-year-old victim Kirsty Upton was trapped beneath the Ford Fiesta and dragged along beneath it for about 45 metres before Hannah, who thought she had just struck a bag or debris, stopped and found her.

She later said that Kirsty spoke to her saying she could not breathe but passed away almost immediately. She had suffered multiple injuries, said Jonathan Duffy, prosecuting.

Hannah, 57, of Coniston Road, Neston, was on her way to work at the Land Registry in Birkenhead when the tragedy occurred about 6.40am on March 15 last year on Church Road, Tranmere near St Catherine’s Hospital.

Mr Duffy told the Liverpool Crown Court jury that the death of Kirsty was “avoidable” and occurred because the manner of the defendant’s driving fell below the standard expected. “She failed to exercise sufficient care and attention in her driving.

“Tragically rather than taking avoiding action such as slowing down until she could see precisely what was in front of her or by deviating from her course to drive around she carried on and drove over the obstruction.”

Kirsty was seen near a bus stop shortly before the accident wearing a dressing gown and pyjamas.

She collapsed not long before Mrs Hannah came upon the scene and was lying in the roadway. Although it was not known why she had collapsed she had recently been known to suffer from fits, he said.

Hannah drove over her, mistakenly believing it was a builders’-type bag, and continued for about 40 metres before stopping to check why the car seemed obstructed in some way.

After not seeing anything she drove a further six metres before again stopping and discovering Kirsty was trapped underneath.

In a statement to police Hannah said she had seen what she thought was a bag in the road but could not avoid it as there was an on-coming vehicle.

The court heard that CCTV footage showed there was no on coming vehicle and Hannah told the jury that she had believed it was an industrial type builders’ bag and not a person. She said she was at a loss to know why somebody would be lying in the road.

Hannah, who has no convictions at all and had a clean driving licence, said in a statement after the accident that she was distraught at the thought that someone had passed away as a result of the accident and expressed her condolences to the victim’s family.

Judge Driver today banned her from driving for 12 months and she was ordered to pay the fine and costs within 28 days.

He express sympathy to members of Kirsty’s family who sat in the public gallery during the four-day trial.