Former police officer faces jail over double-fatal crash

Retired police inspector Ralph Parnaby, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, had driven his Honda Jazz erratically for miles, first along the A64 and then on the A1237 near York.

York Crown Court was told one motorist become so concerned about his driving, she had considered calling the police.

Then Parnaby jerked sideways into a red Ford Escort that was about to turn right. The Escort shunted into a silver Ford Orion that had stopped immediately ahead of it.

Derek Ross, 23, of Airdrie, driving the other way in a Ford Transit van, swerved on to the verge and crashed.

Both he and his passenger, fellow Scot Alan Davenport, 33, died as the van rolled over and over in the road. Parnaby bit his tongue as his car also overturned.

Parnaby, of Nether Way, Nether Poppleton, denied causing the deaths by dangerous driving, but was convicted after a four-day trial. The case was adjourned for pre-sentence and other reports.

The Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, forbade him from driving as part of his bail and told him: "I have to warn you that custody is likely to follow."

After the case, the families of the dead men called for tighter controls on drivers with medical conditions.

The court heard that the crash happened about ten minutes before Parnaby was due to take some medicine.

"They have been robbed of their young lives," said Charles Ross, on behalf of Mr Ross's family.

Mr Ross's mother, June, said: "There needs to be provision for drivers who are suffering from certain illnesses to be monitored more stringently so that no one goes through the agony we have."

Parnaby was going to visit his 98-year-old mother in an Acomb nursing home when the crash happened in June last year.

The court heard he had no memory of the accident, but he told the court Parkinson's Disease had nothing to do with it. He said he could anticipate when his condition was about to affect him adversely, and he had felt well on the day.