THE stepson of a grandmother who died when she was mown down by a car has said her killer's guilty plea will provide some relief to his family.

Ray Eustace's stepmother Patricia was killed when she was hit by a Vauxhall Cavalier driven by 52-year-old Patricia Lawlor, of Fiddler's Hamlet, Epping.

She had been standing outside the Merry Fiddlers pub, in Fiddler's Hamlet for a cigarette break when Lawlor swerved off the road striking her before ploughing into the building, in November last year.

Mr Eustace said Lawlor's plea of guilty to causing death by dangerous driving this week was welcome but blamed her for the delays which had seen the case take nearly a year to reach its conclusion.

He said: “We are obviously pleased at the guilty pleas. I think there have been a lot of delays caused by her not being available for interview. I don't hold anything against the police, she's delayed it herself.

“She pleaded guilty to the death by careless driving charge and I was relieved they didn't accept that. As soon as she could see they wouldn't accept it she changed her plea again and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. She could have pleaded guilty to that at the start. Only she knows the true facts of what happened on the day.”

Mrs Eustace, of Maple Springs, Waltham Abbey, had gone to the pub with her family for a meal on the fateful day after a change of plans when she discovered her first choice venue, the Black Swan, in Nazeing, had stopped serving.

She died at the scene when she was hit by Lawlor's car.

Mr Eustace said: “It's been a bit of a journey. It felt like there was no end to it. We couldn't close anything down until it was over. Hopefully when this is all sorted out next week, or as soon as, we can feel better. It'll never be back to normal, because she's missing, but it'll help.”

Lawlor is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown court at a yet to be determined date.