THE death of teacher Ellie Bongers and her young son Joseph is an absolute tragedy.

Sally Rundle, the 72-year-old woman whose dangerous driving resulted in their deaths near Tackley last year, will no doubt also carry the heavy burden of guilt for the rest of her days.

We have no wish to vilify an elderly woman or condemn her to jail.

But once again our courts raise the question of consistency of approach and whether they understand properly proportion of offending.

Yesterday we questioned whether it was right to jail a suicidal man for illegally held firearms after he had managed to shoot himself in the hand accidentally.

Mrs Rundle was given a suspended jail sentence by Judge Mary Jane Mowat and it must be kept in mind that she is a lady of advanced years who has not been before the courts before.

Yet her dangerous driving (not careless, remember) on the wrong side of the road killed two people.

No two cases are the same but our judges, sitting just yards apart in the same court building, must show a degree of consistency.

When you compare these two cases and the danger other people were put to by each defendant’s actions, there is definitely a disparity in sentencing.