THE grieving widower of a woman who was killed after a car left the road and hit a building has criticised Essex Police’s handling of the case.

Patricia Eustace, 71, from Maple Springs in Waltham Abbey, was killed outside the Merry Fiddlers pub in Coopersale on November 6 when a Vauxhall Cavalier left the road and struck her.

Mrs Eustace had stepped outside for a cigarette after having lunch with her husband of 50 years, Brian.

The couple, who had two children and two grandchildren, had only gone to the pub by chance after another pub had stopped serving food.

Mrs Eustace died of her injuries at the scene.

Patricia Lawlor, 52, from Fiddlers Hamlet, appeared before magistrates in Harlow last week charged with causing death by dangerous driving and while unfit through drink and is due to appear before a judge and jury.

Mrs Eustace's husband, who is 82, said he had only heard from the force’s family liason officer once over the past eight months, and did not even know the charges facing the driver of the car and was distraught at how long the case was taking to process.

He said: “We’ve only seen the family liasion officer once after the crash happened, we don’t even know what this woman has been charged with. I’m very browned off that this is taking so long.

“My son was a policeman, and he knows how its supposed to work. He said this was all wrong.

“I’m not getting any younger and every time I go to the Abbey to the shops, people keep asking me about it. But I can’t make arrangments, it seems like the family liasion officer is always busy.”

His son Ray, 59, added he thought the problem lay with the system, rather than individuals.

He said: “I get an answer machine a lot of the time, the individual family liasion officer has been mostly very good at getting back to me.

“I was a bit suprised at the length of time its taken but they do have huge workloads. At one point I started getting concerned about the six-month rule – thinking that they wouldn't be able to charge anyone.

“I do not think it was a personal issue, but they should get some more proper policemen and less of these PCSO’s and maybe some more family liasion officers too. There's a general lack of manpower.”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Police have maintained regular contact since the incident via the appointed family liasion officer.

“They have been updated through the nominated point of contact chosen by the family following the collision.”