March 1, 2001 16:33: DISABLED driver Nicola Arscott reversed out of a disabled parking space and accidentally hit a pedestrian before knocking another to the ground, a court heard.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty by letter to careless and inconsiderate driving at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Monday.

John Horn, prosecuting, said Arscott, of Colne Road, High Wycombe, had been reversing out of the parking space at Tesco's supermarket in Loudwater, High Wycombe, at 9.30am on August 31 last year when the accident happened.

He said: "She reversed out of a disabled bay at Tesco's, struck a pedestrian, continued to reverse, despite the pedestrian banging on the car, and then collided with another pedestrian, knocking her to the ground."

In letters to the court, Arscott said she had been looking out of the rear window before reversing at between one and two mph and the people involved had chosen to walk on a place designated as a highway.

The court heard that she had not run into the pedestrian deliberately and thought that the second pedestrian could have been caught "off-balance" as the first one fell over.

She said: "My car is my only form of transport to allow me to travel to and from work and to the doctors."

Arscott added that she was expecting a baby in two months and due to a recent family bereavement needed the car to transport a surviving family member.

The court heard how she had a previous conviction for speeding in 1999 for which she was given six penalty points on her licence and fined £100.

For driving without due care and attention she was given four penalty points, fined £140 and ordered to pay £60 towards prosecution costs.