Marcia Grant: Family of killed foster mum say they have not got justice

The family of a foster mum killed by a boy she was looking after said they had been let down by prosecutors and had not got “meaningful justice”.

The boy, aged 12 at the time, ran over Marcia Grant, 60, with her own car in Sheffield in April.

The defendant admitted causing death by dangerous driving after prosecutors dropped a murder charge. He was sentenced to two years in custody.

The Crown Prosecution Service said a murder conviction was not “realistic”.

In a statement following the sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, Mrs Grant’s family said their anguish had been “compounded by the reduction in criminal charges” against the boy.

The defendant, now aged 13, had previously denied a murder charge but admitted the lesser offence, which was accepted by the CPS.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of a knife taken from Mrs Grant’s kitchen, which was found on him when he was arrested.

The court heard how on the night of Mrs Grant’s death he tried to take her car, which was parked outside the family home in Hemper Lane in the Greenhill area of the city.

In an attempt to stop him, Mrs Grant was said to have gone behind the vehicle, which then reversed, causing her to fall on her back and hit her head on the ground.

She became trapped under the car, which then reversed “at some speed” and caused “catastrophic injuries,” the court heard.

She was pronounced dead shortly after 19:30 BST on 5 April.

South Yorkshire Police said detectives put together a “comprehensive case file” and it was the CPS’s final decision to bring a charge of causing death by dangerous driving against the boy.

Mrs Grant’s family said they felt “completely let down by the CPS and their lack of willingness to allow our mum’s story to be heard and brought to meaningful justice”.

They also said they felt decisions made by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, who Mrs Grant fostered children on behalf of, “played a critical role in the circumstances which led to our mum’s death”.

“This whole ordeal leaves us with so many unanswered questions and we are completely heartbroken that our mother will not get the justice she deserves.”

Malcolm Christy, district crown prosecutor for the CPS in Yorkshire and Humberside, said that because of the seriousness of the case an immediate decision to charge was needed and the boy was initially charged with murder.

But he said after further investigations, including a reconstruction, expert reports and witness statements, the service concluded there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” for murder.

“This was in line with our duty to keep all cases under continuous review and to ensure the right person is charged with the right offence,” he said.

Rotherham Council, who Mrs Grant looked after children for, said an “independent partnership review” into the circumstances surrounding her death would be carried out.

Nicola Curley, strategic director of children’s services at the council, said the authority would “continue to support our foster carers who have been devastated by this tragedy”.

“As one of our foster carers, Marcia was well-known, much-loved and highly respected in our fostering community,” she added.

Sentencing the boy, Mrs Justice Juliet May told him the prosecution had “accepted that you did not mean to harm Mrs Grant”.

“The offence you committed was serious, but it was not murder,” she said.

“You made a bad choice. You knew that taking her car was wrong.

“Custody is the last resort for a child – but causing her death was so serious that it must be custody.”

The boy was also made subject to a driving ban and disqualified for six years.