A driver has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after he crashed into a bus stop where a 14-year-old boy was waiting with his aunt.

Logan Finch was waiting for the 321 bus on Eltham Road with his aunt and cousins on December 21, 2021, when a truck driven by 42-year-old Frederick Mansfield veered onto the pavement.

Logan was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after he was pinned between the truck and the bus stop, while his aunt Rachel Poole was left with serious injuries. 

Mansfield, who was not injured in the crash, was charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

After a trial which lasted a week, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court found Mansfield guilty of both charges.

He will be sentenced next month and has been banned from driving until then.

Tragedy

The jury were informed that Mansfield initially told police that he had pressed the wrong pedal. 

But Mansfield later told police he didn’t remember the incident at all and thinks he must have blacked out or fallen asleep. 

Mansfield has since been diagnosed with sleep apnoea, a condition which leaves people feeling tired in the day due to disturbed sleep at night, which he said caused the crash. 

Last week (January 8)  prosecutor Rupert Kent told the court that Logan was on his way to a barber in Eltham with his aunt, Ms Poole, and his two cousins. 

At 3.33pm the group were waiting at the bus stop near the junction with Kidbrooke Park Road when the tragedy took place. 

“Without any warning at all the defendant’s vehicle moved straight at this group. It came at them at some speed,” Mr Kent said. 

“It initially collided with a lamp post. It then collided with the bus stop causing some damage to it and in the process it hit Logan, it hit Rachel and it hit Rachel’s nine-year-old son.” 

When the vehicle came to a rest it had pinned Logan against the bus stop, causing fatal injuries. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.02pm. 

Ms Poole was thrown to the ground and sustained serious injuries to her legs and chest. 

The incident was caught on distressing CCTV footage which was played to the jury. 

'Sleep apnoea'

Ten minutes after the crash had taken place, Mansfield was spoken to by police. 

Bodyworn footage showed Mansfield telling an officer “I just put my foot on the wrong pedal” and “that was my fault mate”. 

But when he was spoken to by another officer 45 minutes later Mansfield said: “I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit blurry. I must have either blacked out or fallen asleep. 

“I was going up towards the bus stop and that boy was in front of us and just...” 

He told officers he had never blacked out before. 

Prosecutor Mr Kent described Mansfield explanations as a “developing narrative”. 

When he was formally interviewed the following day he said he couldn’t remember how it happened but he thought he might have blacked out and pressed the wrong pedal. 

When Mansfield was interviewed again five months later he issued a prepared statement telling police that the crash was caused by his previously undiagnosed sleep apnoea. 

Explaining the condition to the jury, prosecutor Mr Kent said it is a condition where sleep is disturbed due to disrupted breathing. 

It can caused people to be tired or to fall asleep during the day. 

However, Mr Kent told the jury that the Mansfield’s medical records showed no complaints of this kind prior to the fatal crash. 

Additional, Mr Kent said that the prosecution’s case is that even if the crash had been caused by Mansfield falling asleep, he would have been aware of feeling tired beforehand. 

“If the defendant was feeling sleepy, he should have stopped driving,” Mr Kent said. 

‘He was not paying proper attention’ 

Mr Kent also pointed to evidence which could suggest that Mansfield had not blacked out or fallen asleep. 

On the CCTV he pointed out that the brake lights on the trailer attached to Mansfield’s truck had flashed just before he ploughed into the bus stop. 

After that, white lights showed indicating that the vehicle was in reverse. 

Mr Kent also pointed out that Mansfield had described the positions of Logan and Ms Poole before the crash, which could indicate that he was awake at that time. 

“It may be that the defendant simply became distracted. He was not paying proper attention,” Mr Kent said. 

“Ultimately, the prosecution says that this fell far below the level of a competent driver.” 

Mansfield, of Imperial Gardens in Hythe, was bailed until sentencing.