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Merciful beyond belief: Careless driver who killed talented doctor spared jail after victim's family beg judge for leniency
By Lydia Warren
Last updated at 8:40 AM on 3rd June 2011
A careless driver who killed a gifted young doctor in a road accident has dodged jail thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the victim’s family.
In an astonishing display of compassion, the parents of Eton-educated Ian Noble said they did not want Everton Wright to be jailed because it is not what their son would have wanted.
Instead, they said, he should do something for the good of society to make up for his ‘stupidity’. He was given a community sentence.
In a statement, Dr Noble’s parents Roderick and Joan and his brother Jamie said: ‘We do not urge a punitive sentence be imposed.
‘Ian was wholly unconvinced about the effectiveness of short custodial sentences.
‘Neither he nor us would advocate a sentence of severity for what we understand was a simple act of stupidity, albeit one with most devastating consequences.
‘We would like to think the defendant would do something for the good of society to help alleviate the consequence of his carelessness.’
Dr Noble, 26, was on his scooter a mile from King’s College Hospital in south London, where he worked, when Wright, 32, turned into the road and knocked him 8ft into the air.
Dr Noble suffered a fractured skull and, despite paramedics getting him to the hospital, he could not be saved.
Wright, who fought back tears as he stood in the dock yesterday, was sentenced to a community order with 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay the £500 cost of the prosecution.
Dr Noble, who dreamt of leading research into treatments for diabetes, was in his second foundation year at the hospital and was on the British Medical Association’s board of directors. He trained at Sheffield University, where he met his partner, Dr Annabel Scott. ‘It is not an exaggeration to say our lives have been wrecked by the loss of Ian, the grief is overwhelming and it is unlikely that any of us will ever get over our loss.'
His father, a barrister, and mother, who runs a European agricultural consultancy, added in their statement at the Inner London Crown Court: ‘The impact on us all has been devastating.
‘It is not an exaggeration to say our lives have been wrecked by the loss of Ian, the grief is overwhelming and it is unlikely that any of us will ever get over our loss.
‘He had boundless enthusiasm, application, charm and talent and oozed charisma.
‘His death has deprived society of a very talented and devoted doctor who wanted to make the world a better place.’
Wright, a plumber from Croydon, south London, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in October last year but was sentenced only yesterday.
Peter Pride, prosecuting, said Dr Noble was riding his scooter in the bus lane during rush hour traffic. Wright was waiting in his green Toyota to turn right into a parking space and a woman stopped to let him go.
'His death has deprived the world of a very talented and devoted doctor who wanted to make the world a better place': Dr Ian Noble with his partner Dr Annabel Scott
It is not known how fast Dr Noble was travelling. Although his helmet was done up, it was not adjusted properly and the impact of the crash threw it from his head, experts concluded.
Witnesses said Wright jumped from his car and called for help, and when the police arrived he asked if he could go to hospital with Dr Noble, the court heard.
But Mr Pride said that Wright had not looked sufficiently far down the road before turning and was not driving slowly enough.
Judge Roger Chapple paid tribute to the ‘quiet dignity’ with which Dr Noble’s family had conducted themselves and noted that Wright was a ‘key member of the community’.
He said: ‘This is a case of unbearable sadness for all of those who are touched and concerned by the events. It is obvious Dr Noble had a glittering future ahead of him.’
His family and Miss Scott, 28, have set up the Dr Ian Noble Memorial Fund to help Sheffield students carry out new research.
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In a statement, Dr Noble’s parents Roderick and Joan and his brother Jamie said: ‘We do not urge a punitive sentence be imposed.
'His death has deprived the world of a very talented and devoted doctor who wanted to make the world a better place': Dr Ian Noble with his partner Dr Annabel Scott
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