The wife of a postman who died in a road crash has criticised the sentence given to the driver responsible after he was allowed to keep his licence.

Paul Lawson, 59, of Greystone Avenue in Tarring, Worthing, died after being hit by a van in Tarring Road, Worthing, while cycling home from work on March 6, 2006.

Daniel Southion, 30, from Sidcup, Kent, stood trial for careless driving at Worthing Magistrates' Court.

He was disqualified from driving for six months after receiving six penalty points on his licence which, added to six points from previous convictions, meant an automatic ban.

But James McCooey, defending, said Southion would be appealing against the sentence at crown court and magistrates agreed to suspend the ban until the appeal was heard.

In court, Southion said he did not see Mr Lawson in the road and claimed he would lose his job as a driver if he lost his licence.

Mr Lawson's wife, Susan, 57, who now lives in Thirlmere Crescent, Sompting, described the sentence as "a joke".

She said: "For us it was a victory that he had two previous motoring offences which meant he was banned from driving.

"The stupid thing about it is that he has been driving about for a year and can continue to carry on until the appeal.

"It is a joke but what can you do?

"I don't think there is any justice but I just didn't want him to get away scot-free."

Mrs Lawson met her husband at her brother David's party and they were married for 36 years.

They had two children, Kate, 27, who lives with her mother, and Jo, 29, who lives in New Zealand.

Mrs Lawson said: "Everyone says the case ending is closure but I don't think it is because my life won't change.

"One of my close friends said to me that it's like having a heavy rucksack around your neck, you eventually get used to it but the feeling never goes away.

"Paul was due to retire in January and was looking forward to doing different things and enjoying his life but that has been taken away from us.

"We just have to get on with our lives and deal with it."

Mrs Lawson, who works in Marks and Spencer, is angry because she feels Southion has shown no remorse.

She said: "His solicitor spoke about his client suffering but he never said anything for us.

"It would have been very nice for him to have said sorry.

"But I don't think I would particularly want to see him to be honest."

Southion was ordered to pay £500 court costs and was fined £500. A date for the appeal has not yet been set.