A RETIRED architect has been banned from the road after seriously injuring a woman and her grandson in Jerry Croft, Skipton, last summer.

Donald Clark, 81, told Harrogate magistrates he had accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes when he was manoeuvring his Mini Cooper in the car park on August 6 last year.

Clark, of Church Lane, Gargrave, was driving his automatic car with his wife in the passenger seat at 12.25pm when he lost control of the vehicle causing it to lurch forward pinning Helen Stephenson and her three-year-old grandson against a wall.

Prosecutor for the police, David Leach, said Mrs Stephenson suffered breaks to her ribs, knee, ankle and suffered serious injury to her foot and a haematoma in her leg. She required three units of blood and reconstructive surgery to a toe. She has been left with a leg length discrepancy.

Her grandson suffered a broken tibia and a haematoma behind his kidney. He was in hospital for five days and his grandmother for over a week.

He said: "Mrs Stephenson said her grandson would need medical intervention on his leg into his teen years. She said she feels constant guilt that she was looking after her grandson that day and he was badly injured while in her care."

In a victim statement read out in court, Mrs Stephenson said she still suffered from a great deal of pain as well as psychological issues. The injuries have stopped her riding her horses and she remains anxious and nervous.

Clark who had pleaded guilty to careless driving on February 16 appeared at court to face a possible driving ban.

He told magistrates his wife had Parkinson's disease and he needed to drive to take her to hospital appointments.

He had produced six character references, one from the village vicar who said he often voluntary drives people in the village who require a lift.

He said he was full of remorse for his actions that day which had left him very shocked. He had sought updates on the victims' health.

Magistrates said they believed Clark was in the high culpability bracket for driving negligently which led to serious harm to the victims.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and told he must take a re-test before he can get his licence back.

He must also pay a fine of £600, a victim surcharge of £60 and court costs of £90.