A BUS driver has been jailed for seven years after causing a crash which led to the death of a pensioner.

Saeed Abbas crashed through a stone wall and into a garage in Bradford Road, Fartown, after becoming overcome with fatigue.

It led directly to the death of Albert Rowley, 82, who was described as a “popular and lively character” by his family.

Mr Rowley, a former stonemason, lived in Brighouse and was on his way to visit his family in Huddersfield.

He suffered a broken leg in the crash and had two operations at the Royal Infirmary.

He was born in Rastrick and later lived in Bailiff Bridge before moving to Brighouse.

Mr Rowley was one of 40 of the 44 passengers on the double deck X6 bus who reported injuries after the September 25, 2006, crash.

A person who witnessed the crash said Abbas appeared to be shrugging as the bus veered off the road.

Just an hour before the crash at Fartown, Abbas had narrowly avoided crashing into the parapet at Stanley Bridge, Bradford, which the judge said could have led to “many more people being killed or seriously injured” by his driving.

Abbas, of Little Horton, Bradford, was seen driving with one hand for 29 seconds and reading an A4 timetable for 55 seconds.

Sentencing Abbas at Bradford Crown Court yesterday, Judge Christopher Prince told him: “Tiredness can kill in the same way driving under the influence of alcohol can kill, and in the same way driving under the influence of drugs can kill.

“You knew you were too tired to drive yet you carried on.

“Bus drivers are in a position of trust, they are entrusted with the lives of their passengers every time they take charge of their vehicle.

“In turn the passengers expect the bus driver to drive responsibly and carefully.

“It was a conscious decision you made to drive while extremely tired, and what is worse was the decision you made after the first incident to continue driving.

“Had you decided to pull over when you should have done after the first crash, the proper care of your passengers could have continued with a new driver.

“You should have stopped that bus after the first incident.”

Abbas accepted he was driving carelessly but said he had not fallen asleep. He said his loss of consciousness was caused by fatigue, which the judge said he did nothing to resolve.

Judge Prince added: “During your interview with police in hospital and during your formal interview under caution, you blamed it on the driving mechanism of that bus; that it was in some way faulty.

“It appeared that you lied about what happened.”

On the day of the fatal crash, Abbas started his shift at 6am from the Bradford depot and was to drive the X6 from Bradford to Huddersfield.

At 7.40am a passenger saw Abbas yawn as they got onto the bus.

At 8.15am the first incident at the Stanley Bridge occurred when Abbas was driving at 47mph.

Abbas was recorded on cameras driving with one hand for 29 seconds.

A couple of minutes later he was seen rubbing his eyes.

Six minutes after that, for a total of 55 seconds, he was driving while reading documents.

Just 15 minutes before the fatal crash he was recorded yawning again.

At 9.51am, ten minutes before the crash, he was reading the documents again for a period of 17 seconds.

One passenger said he “couldn’t even be bothered to check my travel card” while he also failed to stop at the correct bus stop in Brighouse.

CCTV of the bus recorded the passenger reaction, with half of the people on the top deck looking stunned at the near-miss with the bridge.

The judge said the only emotion they could have felt was fright.

Abbas told police that he swerved to avoid a motorcyclist, but CCTV footage shows the motorcyclist had passed safely before the incident.

Judge Prince added: “Your driving demonstrates a complete carelessness and total lack of regard for your passengers.

“You were not giving full attention.

“You knew you were not in a fit state to be driving.

“You didn’t seem to have any awareness as to what was happening around you.

“I am extremely surprised that more people were not seriously hurt in this incident.”

Abbas passed his driving test in November 2004 and passed his public vehicle test in July 2005.

The court heard that there was four previous driving incidents during his time at First Bus, but the judge said they were not significant so did not take them into account.

Abbas was sentenced to eight years in prison, reduced to seven due to his guilty plea. He was told he would serve at least half of his sentence before being considered for release.

He was banned from driving for five years and must re-take his driving test before driving again.