A MOTORIST who ploughed into two horse-drawn carts, killing a family man and badly injuring his son, has been cleared of causing death by dangerous driving.

Lisa Tomlinson, 26, was found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving at the end of a three-day trial yesterday, and was given the only possible punishment -a financial penalty.

The family of accident victim Terence Wood last night told of the heartache his death has caused, and their anger at the verdict returned by the jury at Teesside Crown Court.

A statement from Mr Wood's widow, Alison, said: "The loss of my husband, Terence Wood, has had the most devastating effect on my life and that of my children.

"He was a fabulous husband, father and son, and is deeply missed by us all. No sentence can return Terence to us, but as I try to pick up my life and support my children, his loss is felt continually."

The statement, read out by a police family liaison officer as Mrs Wood and her relatives left court in tears, added: "We are devastated by today's result."

Tomlinson, of Eton Road, Stockton, was found guilty of careless driving by a majority of 11-1 after the jury deliberated on the charges for almost three hours yesterday.

Judge Peter Fox fined her £750, banned her from driving for three years and ordered her to take an extended driving test before she drives again.

The judge said he would have imposed a fine nearer to the maximum of £2,500 if Tomlinson had not quit her £500-a-week sales job after the crash last April.

He said: "The circumstances of that careless driving must be regarded as some of the worst one can imagine. Plainly, you have shown that you are not fit to be in sole charge of a motor car."

Robin Denny, for Tomlinson, said she was deeply upset about the pain she had caused Mr Wood's family, and that she had not driven since the accident.

The crash happened on the A689 near Bishop Auckland as Mr Wood and his son, Lewis, 14, were exercising two of their mares ahead of a planned trip to Appleby Horse Fair, in Cumbria.

The court heard that it took Tomlinson, who had passed her test only a year earlier, 14 seconds from when she should have seen the horses and carts on the Coundon bypass to try to take evasive action.

The wheels on her Nissan Micra locked when she finally braked, and she hit Lewis's pony and trap and then his father's, throwing him from the carriage.

Mr Wood, 40, died instantly after he hit his head on a kerb, and his son suffered serious head injuries and a broken pelvis and was in intensive care for five days.