A bus driver who ran over and killed a passenger in Peckham received a suspended sentence despite being found guilty.
Steven Mitchell, age 60, was hurt in 2022 after the bus ran over his arm in Peckham, outside Peckham Library. Jurors learned Mitchell waited two hours for help and died in the hospital one month later from bleeding badly.
Aston Hopwood, age 47, is from Southwark, and said he knew nothing until police told his job, stating he did not check for other riders. Hopwood denied careless driving causing death, but a jury found him guilty after a second trial at the Old Bailey.
The judge sentenced him to a suspended jail term of 12 months, suspended for two years. Hopwood must do 140 hours of work, and his driving is banned for two years. Judge Leonard considered the stress of two trials and knew Hopwood felt upset and very sad about Mitchell’s death.
The judge expressed shock at the bus company, Go-Ahead London, for letting Hopwood appeal his firing after the incident. He also said the CCTV footage was clear, stating that no one thinks Hopwood should drive buses, especially with passengers onboard.
Prosecutor Adam King shared what a witness saw: the witness called 999 about Mitchell’s arm and took Mitchell to a nearby place, where Mitchell made another 999 call. King said Mitchell told the 999 operator that a bus ran over his arm, which was broken and bleeding. Mitchell said his pain increased, he was bleeding more, and his breathing was not normal with blood pouring out, he told them.
The operator gave advice to stop the bleeding, and Mitchell said the bleeding was lessened after following the instructions. Emergency help arrived at 12:35 AM and found Mitchell sitting in a chair in the reception area with blood.
Mitchell told police he ran for the bus on Peckham Hill Street, and his arm got trapped in the door. He said the bus began to move, and he fell, at which point his arm went under the bus, jurors heard. He had many operations and went to intensive care for organ failure; life support was removed on December 18, 2022.
The post-mortem showed the cause of death was multiple organ failures and sepsis. A doctor also found pneumonia and liver disease in Mitchell, who was “chronically alcohol dependent” and had “blunt force trauma.”
The prosecutor said Mitchell would live, but the bus running him over caused his death, and that blunt force trauma was the key factor. The jurors watched video clips of CCTV footage showing the incident and what occurred on that day. King said Mitchell approached the bus and the doors remained open. Mitchell stepped on the bus, and his hand was in the door.
“The bus moves away,” King stated. Mitchell stumbled, ran with the moving bus with his arm trapped there, then fell near the bus. The bus drove past and apparently ran over his right arm, as shown in the video.
Hopwood spoke to police in January 2023 and agreed he drove the bus, but stated he did not know Mitchell tried to board. Hopwood did not check his mirrors, where he should see people boarding, before driving away, it was said in court.