THE driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist just after his 21st birthday had taken cocaine the day before, a court was told.
Liam Sargeant, of Lambourne Road, Chigwell, died after he was hit by a Ford Fiesta being driven by sales assistant Joseph Thomas in Ongar Road, Abridge.
Thomas, 24, of Millbank Avenue, Ongar, had been driving home from work on the evening of July 23 2010, when he started overtaking a taxi near Stapleford Airfield, Chelmsford Crown Court heard yesterday (Monday).
He told police that the cab seemed to speed up while he was overtaking and he saw Mr Sargeant’s bike appear, coming towards him.
“I was not making enough headway,” he said. “I pulled a nose ahead of (the cab), so at the last minute, I had to make a decision whether to pull back or slide in front.”
He pulled in front of the taxi, but as he did, he hit Mr Sargeant with his front bumper and windscreen.
The taxi driver, William Hatch, saw the bright light of the bike’s headlamp in the distance before he noticed Thomas’ car overtaking him and then heard a bang.
Carolyn Gardiner, prosecuting, said: “He slammed on his brakes and heard a scrunching noise.
“The defendant ran towards him shouting to phone an ambulance.”
Thomas admitted causing death by careless driving in April.
Mr Sargeant’s mother, Deborah, said the death of her only child had left a “gaping hole” in her life.
“That boy took mine away from me,” she added. “He’s not much older, but he’s sitting at home with his mother. Liam’s ashes sit with me.”
Thomas admitted drinking at a West End pub earlier that day, although he passed a roadside breath test, and taking cocaine the day before.
Stuart Jessop, mitigating, said: “Mr Thomas wants to convey his deep remorse for what he has caused. I’ve not had experience of (defendants) feeling more remorse than this.”
He said Thomas, who was 22 with six months’ driving experience at the time of Mr Sargeant’s death, had told the police about his recent cocaine use, but it was not certain that it had contributed to the crash.
Sentencing him to 12 months in prison and imposing a four-year driving ban, judge Christopher Bull said: “There’s nothing the court can say or do to repair the damage done to the deceased’s family.”
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