A 96-year-old man has been sent to prison today after having previously admitted to causing death by dangerous driving.

William Beer admitted being responsible for the death of 84-year-old pedestrian Illtyd Morgan in Caerphilly on April 6, 2021.

The victim died at the scene on Bedwas Road after being hit by the defendant who was at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 car.

Beer, of School Street, Llanbradach, pleaded guilty to the offence during a hearing at Newport Crown Court.

Malcolm Galloway, defending, asked: "Allowing a 96-year-old to make these decisions themselves, is that the best system we have?"

Mr Beer had been receiving eye injections every eight weeks or so to stabilise his vision.

Mr Beer claimed that his vision had, in fact, been improving in that time.

However, the judge said: “The evidence is that it did not”.

Mr Beer was called to the stand to give further evidence after the defence turned down an invitation for the judge for an adjournment – to allow for special dispensation to be put in place for Mr Beer’s benefit.

Mr Beer was asked how his eyesight was when he sent his application for licence renewal to the DVLA.

He said it was “improving all the time, after every session”. He said that he thought it had improved “considerably”.

Thomas Stanway, prosecuting, said: "You reported a big change in your vision before treatment started?"

Mr Beer replied that his optician had “advised me not to continue driving”, stating that he thought “new glasses would give me back the facility I had”.

A procedure to remove Mr Beer’s cataracts was deemed too dangerous and could have resulted in complete sight loss, and so he was put on injections every eight weeks to stabilise his sight.

However, he claimed to have been told that the injections would, in fact, improve his sight.

He also claimed that the sentencing carried out today was the “the first I’m hearing” of a letter sent to his address in which his optician advised him against driving.

Further appointment records were presented by the prosecution, stated that there had not been an improvement in Mr Beer’s vision but rather a stabilisation.

“At no point in your medical record doe sit say that injections were to improve your vision,” Mr Stanway said.

At the time of the collision, Mr Beer was instructed to do a roadside eyesight test by reading a number plate of the police car.

The legal limit to be able to do this is 20m. However, Mr Beer could only complete the test at a distance of 7m.

In mitigation, Mr Galloway said that Mr Beer’s wife Miriam had died shortly before Christmas last year (2021). She had been diagnosed with dementia in 2019 and could no longer look after herself.

“Mr Beer took on her full-time care with no assistance from the state,” he said.

“With the impact of Covid, he was left on his own with very limited contact with the family.

“If they had realised what was going on, they would have undoubtedly put a stop to it.”

Mr Galloway asked the judge to take the strain of this time into account when looking at Mr Beer’s decision making.

Further mitigation from the defence noted Mr Beer’s “good” driving record – having driven for 76 years with a clean licence and 12 years for the blood transfusion service.

“He has genuine remorse,” Mr Galloway said.

“He is a man of impeccable character. He is a man who lived his life as a gentle man and is days away from his 97th birthday.”

Summing up, the judge reminded the court that “a person, loved by many, has died”.

“The court is aware that offences such as this involve this fact,” he said.

“Nothing the court can do will ease the suffering of the family [of Mr Morgan].”

PC David Thomas from the Serious Collision Investigation team and officer in the case said: “This is a tragic case that has resulted in the needless loss of a life.

“William Beer’s decision to drive with very poor eyesight has led to the tragic collision causing the death of Illtyd Morgan, who was crossing the road.

“He was left with no option but to plead guilty owing to the overwhelming amount of evidence gathered.

“Our thoughts remain with the family at this time.”

The judge stated that the offence had taken place in a 30mph zone, on a day which was bright with intermittent snow and sleet showers.

“CCTV shows no precipitation at the time of the collision or any obstruction to the view,” he said.

“There is no suggestion you were speeding.”

Mr Morgan, the judge said, was a pedestrian.

“He was walking with a walker at a slow pace,” he said.

“You did not see him in time. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The judge said to Mr Beer that “you have known your eyesight wasn’t good enough to drive”.

“It would have been obvious to you,” he said.

“You were required by law to bring this to the attention of the DVLA.”

Mr Beer was reminded of the “devastating impact of his selfish decision to continue to drive”.

The judge noted that Mr Morgan had, himself, given up his driving licence due to his eyesight having deteriorated.

Mr Beer, who had – in the judge’s words – “toiled in the coal mines during the Second World War” – was sentenced

The judge concluded proceedings by offering his condolences to Mr Morgan’s family.

He was sentenced at Newport Crown Court this afternoon to serve a sentence of 28 months in prison.

He would be eligible for release on licence after half of that time.