Selby train crash driver jailed for five years

Gary Hart, the driver convicted of causing the deaths of 10 people in the Selby rail crash, has been jailed for five years.

37-year-old Hart, of Strubby, Lincolnshire, was convicted last month of causing death by dangerous driving.

A jury decided he had fallen asleep at the wheel of his Land Rover before the tragedy.

Speaking outside the court Andy Hill, who was the train driver who survived the crash, said he was not happy with the sentence.

Mr Hill, 40, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: "I'm not very happy. I thought it would be longer. I realise it might have been reduced on appeal, but I thought it would be a longer original sentence."

Mr Hill was one of two drivers in the coal train cab when the crash happened. The second driver, Stephen Dunn, died.

A GNER express, travelling at 117mph, smashed into Hart's Land Rover, before it was hit by a coal train. Ten men - six passengers, a buffet chef, a senior conductor on the express and both train drivers - died. More than 70 people were taken to hospital.

The investigation into the crash showed there was nothing wrong with either the train, the track or Hart's decimated Land Rover.

The court was told how detectives focused on Hart's driving and particularly whether he could have fallen asleep at the wheel. Sleep expert Professor Jim Horne told the jury that in his opinion Hart had "insufficient" sleep before embarking on his journey.