A pensioner who lost control of his Mercedes and killed a close friend has been jailed for four months.

Father-of-two Howard Brooks, 72, put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake and ran over Elsa Scarff after they had watched a game of cricket at Canterbury's St Lawrence ground on June 27 last year.

The automatic car then careered into four other vehicles including a Jaguar, a Land Rover, a 4x4 and a BMW at speed – leaving one eyewitness fearing a robbery was taking place.

Retired civil servant Ms Scarff, 75, died from her appalling injuries on July 7 – after needing a double amputation to try to save her life.

Brooks, of Albermarle Road, Beckenham, pleaded guilty to causing her death by driving carelessly.

At Canterbury Crown Court yesterday, Judge Adele Williams said she had received a statement from Miss Scarff's brother Christopher in which he wrote of the grief and loss caused by his sister's death and the suffering she sustained.

Judge Williams said the police concluded that Brooks had mistakenly applied the accelerator and not the brake.

"However, what is not explained is that after coming to a stop you must have put your car in the forward gear to drive out of the ground down to the gates," Judge Williams said.

"You said it happened so quickly it was as if the car had a mind of its own."

Judge Williams said she took into account Brooks's good character and the fact that he had killed his good friend and did not mean to do so.

Brooks was also banned from driving for five years and will have to take an extended driving test when he gets his licence back.

At a previous hearing, prosecutor Bridget Todd told Canterbury Crown Court how Brooks had taken his friend, who needed the use of a walking stick, to the game and then moved his car closer to the ground to collect her prior to taking her to her home in Bromley.

"At 16.45, Brooks was seen getting into the passenger seat and Ms Scarff remained outside as it was parked too close to a raised kerb and flower bed."

Witness Guy Talbot later told police he was in his car waiting to get into the parking space when Brooks had left.

"A large number of other people later said they heard a loud revving sound, a squealing of tyres and a bang" - Prosecutor Bridget Todd

"He noticed the defendant seemed to be taking a long time to reverse out of the bay.

"He could see there was a parking ticket on the Mercedes' windscreen and the defendant was struggling to pull it off the window," she added.

Brooks was then seen to open the "moon-roof" before getting out of the car and back inside again as Ms Scarff waited nearby.

Mr Talbot told officers he thought the driver of the Mercedes was "faffing" and believed he was reading the parking ticket.

"At this point Mr Talbot said the Mercedes reversed flat out and he thought he must have run over the old lady as he didn’t see her anymore.

"A large number of other people later said they heard a loud revving sound, a squealing of tyres and a bang – caused by the Mercedes clipping a Jaguar parked outside Sainsbury's.

"It carried on and hit a small blue vehicle and then a blue 4x4. The impact of that pushed that vehicle into the next bay as the Mercedes hit a BMW5 pushing it into a tree.

"A number of windows were broken and a significant amount of glass was shattered over people nearby – some who suffered superficial injuries," she added.

She told the judge "it became clear" Ms Scarff had become caught between the passenger door and the car forcing her to fall to the ground where she was run over by the Mercedes.

The door also hit Simon Butts, who had been putting away some groceries, forcing him onto the bonnet of his own car and rolling down and onto the ground.

Mr Butts went to speak to the Mercedes driver who had "no expression on his face" and he thought he might be in shock.

As he and others went to Ms Scarff's aid he saw the Mercedes heading for him and feared it would run the stricken lady over again – passing "within a whisker's length", he told police.

Another eyewitness Ms Sabel, who was eight months pregnant and standing on the pavement, watched as the Mercedes left the car park "like he was racing" - and feared it was going to hit her and her mother.

"She leant back against the railings and the car continued back onto the road missing her by inches.

"Some witnesses thought there had in fact been a robbery and that the vehicle was fleeing the scene. It then collided with a small garden wall and a road sign and came to a halt outside the cricket ground gates," added the prosecutor.

Police later examined the Mercedes and found nothing mechanically wrong with it – Brooks said he believed his foot had gone on the accelerator rather than the brake.

He said it all happened so quickly "it was almost as if the vehicle had a mind of its own".

Ms Scarff was taken to King's College Hospital in London where she died after receiving the Last Rites from a priest.

Eve George, defending, said: "He is deeply affected and feels incredibly guilty. He knows he has killed a friend and doesn’t know if he could ever go to a cricket match again."