A double-decker driver who killed two women after ploughing into a bus stop when he accidentally hit the accelerator has avoided jail.
Joyce Bacon, 60, and Adele Boylin, 55, both mothers, were standing waiting to board the bus in Piccadilly Gardens when they were hit by a double decker Stagecoach being driven by 35-year-old Baruania Baros.
Baros, a bus driver with four years experience with a clean driving licence, was helping a disabled passenger leave the bus when he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. The bus then jolted forward and crashed into the women, causing fatal injuries.
Baros, from Ashton-under-Lyne, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving, and was given a suspended prison sentence.
The judge said his pregnant wife would be harmed if Baros was locked up and ruled that he did not pose a ‘risk or danger’ to the public.
Baruania Baros (pictured), 35, has avoided jail after killing two women who were waiting at a bus stop
Joyce Bacon, 60, was standing with her friend Adele Boylin when she was hit by the bus and killed instantly
Prosecutors told how Baros had worked as a driver for Stagecoach since February 2019.
When the crash happened he was driving down Oldham Road in the Northern Quarter in Manchester city centre before turning left onto Piccadilly Gardens at about 9.20pm on July 10, 2022.
Mr and Mrs Bacon and their friend Ms Boylin, a mother-of-four who worked at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and was making her way home after a shift, were standing waiting to take the bus home when Baros arrived.
After pulling over at the bus stop, Baros went to help a passenger on a mobility scooter to leave the bus.
The court heard that he had to park at an angle because another bus had been in front of him. Baros then got out of the bus to pull out the access ramp, but it could not be used due to the angle of the bus.
He then got back into the bus and decided to raise the level of the vehicle instead. Prosecutors said he released the handbrake and the bus moved forwards.
After going to hit the brake he put his foot down on the accelerator, crashing into Mrs Bacon and Ms Boylin as they waited to board the bus. An expert found that Baros had left the bus in gear, rather than in neutral as it should have been. If it had been left in neutral, the accident would have been avoided, the court heard.
‘This was a fatal mistake on your part,’ Judge Suzanne Goddard KC told Baros, describing the incident as a ‘tragic accident’. Both women were rushed to the Manchester Royal Infirmary after suffering serious injuries.
Mrs Bacon died that evening, while Ms Boylin remained in hospital until she passed away on December 6, 2022.
‘You Baruania Baros will carry the burden of knowing your actions caused their deaths for the rest of your life, and their families will feel the terrible tragic effects of your negligence for the rest of their lives,’ Judge Goddard said.
Ian Bacon, Mrs Bacon’s husband, told the court of his devastation at the loss of his wife of 15 years. ‘Joyce and I did everything together,’ he said. ‘She was my best friend as well as my wife. Following the loss of Joyce I have struggled deeply with coming to terms with living my life without her.’
Adele Boylin, 55, pictured, was killed while at a bus stop in Manchester when a double-decker bus mounted the pavement and ploughed into her
In a statement read on her behalf, Ms Boylin’s daughter Sophie said: ‘The day that my mother was struck by a bus was the start of the end of life as I knew it.’
She added: ‘The last thing she said to me was that she loved me and she would speak to me tomorrow. I keep wishing that that tomorrow would happen.’
The court heard that Baros and his family arrived in the UK as part of a refugee program, after spending time detained in a refugee camp in Tanzania. He married in 2020 and his wife is due to give birth in the next few weeks, Baros’ barrister Patrick Cassidy said.
Mr Cassidy said that Baros had no record of disciplinary action prior to his dismissal from Stagecoach, and had submitted testimonials which spoke well of him and told of his remorse.
Sentencing, Judge Goddard told Baros: ‘In my judgement you do not present a risk or danger to the public. You have a good record, an absence of previous convictions and you have shown remorse.
‘Here there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, strong personal mitigation, and immediate custody will result in significant harmful impact upon others.’ Baros, 35, of Bentinck Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.