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A 93-year-old motorist has avoided jail after she knocked down a boy of six when she jumped a red light, leaving him with permanent brain damage. Phyllis Grassi failed to see the lights had changed colour as she drove her silver Smart Fortwo towards a pedestrian crossing. She hit the schoolboy, who froze in the road as she ploughed directly into him . The force of the impact propelled him 12ft into the air in the direction of his father on the pavement who tried to catch him. He broke his finger cushioning some of the impact, but the boy hit his head upon landing next to a telegraph pole sustaining major head injuries. The horrified man saw blood pouring out of his son’s head as the boy struggled to breathe. The dad gave mouth to mouth until an air ambulance arrived and flew the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to hospital where he underwent brain surgery before spending six weeks in a coma. The court heard that he sustained life-changing injuries including a partial loss of sight, deafness in one ear, mobility problems and cognitive issues following the incident on Blandford Road in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, on March 17, 2024. Mother-of-five Grassi pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by careless driving at Poole Magistrates' Court. She was given a 26 week prison sentence, suspended for two years, as her advanced age and ill health meant she was not suitable for immediate custody. Prosecuting, Victoria Hill said: "The boy saw the green man on the crossing illuminate and heard the beeping sound. He believed it was safe to cross and started to run out across the crossing but as he did so his father saw that the defendant driving a silver Smart car was not coming to a stop. "He immediately shouted for his son to stop and his son froze in the middle of the road before starting to turn back to the pavement he just left. While still in the road the boy was struck from behind by the defendant. "The father describes him flying up in the air towards where he was stood on the pavement. He said he instinctively tried to catch his son but he was unable to do so cleanly and the boy hit the pavement floor. "He thinks he must have been thrown about 12ft and he remembers his son landing next to a telegraph pole. He had been hit with so much force that the father broke his finger in two places trying to catch him. "There was blood pouring from the boy's head and the father started to give him mouth to mouth." The family said in a victim impact statement had they had been living a 'nightmare' since the incident which had permanently changed their happy, sporty boy. He had been on the way to the local Royal British Legion with his sister and father when the incident occurred. His mother's statement, read out in court, said: "Every aspect of his life has changed forever. He can no longer play in the park, climb a tree or swim independently. It is a knife through the heart watching his old teammates playing football knowing he wanted to play so passionately. "A regular Sunday turned into a nightmare for us all. We have moved house since as it happened to near we lived, and our daughter no longer goes to the nearby school. Whilst we recognise there was no malicious intent (from Grassi), she made a conscious decision to get in a car. "We are good, law abiding people who have never caused anyone any harm and our family will forever pay the price." The court heard that Grassi had committed a speeding offence in 2023 but had a valid driving licence at the time of the incident. She immediately surrendered her licence after the incident. James Diamond, mitigating, said his client was 'full of remorse and regret' at her 'momentary lapse of concentration'. He said: "It was a momentary lapse of concentration. "She glanced at the family on the pavement and didn't notice the change of lights. She didn't intentionally go through the light or wish harm on anybody. She extends her deepest condolences and regrets in relation to this horrifically sad incident. "She thinks about what happened every day and she immediately handed in her licence afterwards." Sentencing Grassi, Jurge Orla Austin said: "You failed to stop at a red light and drove straight through a pedestrian crossing and in the process hit the boy causing very serious and life changing injuries. It is very clear he was a happy, active and popular young boy who was excelling academically. "He now has permanent physical, cognitive and behavioural difficulties. You caused unimaginable trauma and worry to the family. The starting point is prison but you do suffer from significant ill health and it is very unlikely you will offend in any way in the future." Grassi was disqualified from driving for five years and ordered to pay £239 in costs and victim surcharge.
