Teaching assistant failed to stop for school crossing

A former teaching assistant drove through a school crossing on four occasions while balancing a book on the steering wheel, missing a lollipop lady by inches, a court heard.

Meena Dhanda, aged 28, was seen failing to stop at the crossing outside Mount Pleasant Primary School in Brierley Hill four times in the space of nine days, Dudley Magistrates Court was told.

She even stopped to make an obscene gesture to lollipop lady Angela Hale after driving past at about 20mph. The court heard that there were at least four cases in which

Miss Hale stepped out into the centre of the road but was forced to jump out of the way of Dhanda's Peugeot 206.

Dhanda, of The Croftway, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, was first spotted on March 23 at about 3.15pm when she failed to stop despite Miss Hale holding up her sign.

"She was seen to be resting a book on top of the steering wheel," Mr Roger Bleazard, prosecuting, said.

The following day, Miss Hale had again walked into the road and traffic heading towards Quarry Bank had stopped – but Dhanda carried on at about 25mph while reading, he said.

"She missed Miss Hale by about six inches and there were about 10 young children with their parents at the roadside," Mr Bleazard added. Seven days later she was again spotted reading a book while driving.

Then on April 1, Dhanda had stopped in a queue of traffic and was seen putting a book on the steering wheel and driving off, despite Miss Hale still standing on the carriageway. She stopped a few yards down the road and stuck a finger up at the lollipop lady, Mr Bleazard said.

In interview with police, Dhanda said she often read while stuck in traffic. The rude gesture was "a mistake" borne out of paranoia from previous racist abuse she had received.

Dhanda pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to stop for a person at a school crossing patrol. District Judge Michael Wheeler told her: "You have shown scant disregard for people's safety." She was disqualified from driving for six months, fined £240 plus £60 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.