Driver who killed woman in smart motorway crash avoids jail

A motorist who killed a woman after crashing into the back of a broken-down car on a smart motorway has avoided jail.

On Friday, Barry O'Sullivan, 45, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, after being found guilty at an earlier trial of causing the death of 68-year-old Pulvinder Dhillon by careless driving.

An unresolved technical failure on the M4 smart motorway network meant alerts for broken-down vehicles were not properly communicated in the days leading up to the collision, the trial heard.

O'Sullivan, of Wixams near Bedford, was driving a grey Ford work van at the time of the collision with a Nissan Micra, which had stopped in the outside lane of the M4 in Berkshire.

Ms Dhillon, who was a passenger in the Micra, suffered fatal injuries.

The Nissan, belonging to Ms Dhillon's daughter, had been stationary in the fast lane for six minutes before the collision, the trial at Reading Crown Court was previously told.

The court had previously heard how O'Sullivan was driving at speeds of 74-80mph for the five seconds before the crash.

Defence lawyers argued O'Sullivan could not have caused the death of Ms Dhillon because the crash was "inevitable" given that the car was stationary in the fast lane and the smart motorway was not displaying any warning signs to other motorists.

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While acknowledging "something went wrong" with the motorway's safety alert system, the prosecution argued O'Sullivan still caused the death of Ms Dhillon by driving carelessly and "at speed".

He did not pick up on "cues" that the vehicle was stationary, including the fact other motorists were taking steps to avoid the broken-down Nissan, the prosecution told jurors.

(c) Sky News 2026: Driver who killed woman in smart motorway crash avoids jail