80-year-old woman to plead guilty to fatal crash at Canberra shopping centre

An 80-year-old woman is expected to plead guilty to culpable driving causing death over a crash at a Canberra shopping centre that killed a four-year-old boy.

Maureen Brew has been charged with culpable driving causing death and a backup charge of negligent driving causing death over the incident in January.

Police allege the woman was driving a blue hatchback when it hit the child before continuing into a shopfront at the Southlands Shopping Centre in Mawson, just before 10:30am on January 18.

The boy was treated at the scene by bystanders and paramedics before being transported to hospital, where he died.

Ms Brew was not present in the ACT Magistrates Court when her case was briefly mentioned for the first time this morning.

In court, her lawyer indicated she would plead guilty to the charge of culpable driving causing death.

The case will return to court in June.