Bus driver ‘killed woman outside Victoria station’

A bus driver accused of running over and killing a woman outside one of London’s busiest railway stations has appeared in court.

Mirsime Berisha, 48, allegedly struck Kathleen Finnegan, 56, while driving a Volvo double decker bus outside Victoria station in central London.

Emergency services arrived at the scene on Victoria Street on January 29 last year, but Ms Finnegan died shortly after, prosecutor Leila Bibi Nahaboo-Osman said.

Wearing a black suit with a blue top, Berisha appeared in the dock today (mon) speaking only to confirm her personal details.

The TfL bus driver, of Ealing, west London, did not enter a plea to causing death by dangerous driving, but her lawyer Laurence Harris indicated that she will deny the charge.

Magistrate Charlotte Grainger released Berisha on unconditional bail ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing at the Old Bailey on November 10.

Ms Finnegan, of New Malden, southwest London, was a property executive who also volunteered for homeless charities.

She is one of at least nine pedestrians killed in recent collisions with buses.

Melissa Burr, 32, from Rainham, Kent, was killed while using a pedestrian walkway at Victoria station in August 2021.
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