A DRIVER has been jailed for killing a pensioner on the same stretch of road where he was once caught speeding at 100mph.
Liam Tuck, 23, drove into James William Harrison as the 70-year-old pedalled his bike along the A189 Spine Road in Ashington, Northumberland.
Mr Harrison was flung through the air and died instantly of his injuries.
Now Tuck, who was once caught speeding at over 100mph on the same road, has been locked up for eight months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
The accident happened at around 1.15pm on August 5 last year, when Mr Harrison, known as Bill to friends and family, was riding south along the edge of the A189.
Mr Harrison was travelling from his home in Ashington to visit his elderly mother in hospital in Blyth.
A keen fan of sport, Mr Harrison particularly enjoyed cycling and would make the trip almost every day.
But Tuck, who was delivering sandstone lintels to Ponteland from his family’s quarry business in Newbiggin, failed to spot the cyclist.
His Ford Transit tipper van crashed into Mr Harrison at around 70mph, throwing rider and bike into the air.
A postmortem examination revealed that the pensioner had suffered multiple fatal injuries and died instantly.
A few weeks later, Mr Harrison’s mother also passed away. The family never told her about her son’s death.
Prosecuting, Jolyon Perks told Newcastle Crown Court that Tuck, who was uninsured, drove on for a short distance before realising he had hit Mr Harrison.
Witnesses said Tuck, of Chatton Wynd, West Sleekburn, Northumberland, was “in shock”. “He was pale and his bottom lip was quivering,” said Mr Perks. After he was arrested, Tuck told police he had no idea where the cyclist had come from.
Defending, Paul Caulfield said: “The defendant can’t understand how this happened. He wishes that it hadn’t happened.
“He is devastated and has considered taking his own life as a result of this.
“This is as near to a momentary lapse of concentration as one can contemplate.”
But Judge Brian Forster said there had been plenty of time for Tuck to see Mr Harrison.
He also expressed concern at Tuck’s driving record. Tuck was caught speeding on the A189 in 2007. He was also convicted in 2008 of driving without due care and attention, and in 2009 for driving without insurance.
And even after Mr Harrison’s death, he was twice caught by police – in November 2010 and January 2011 – driving work vehicles without insurance.
Judge Forster said: “You were driving on a straight stretch of road. Ahead of you was a 70-year-old gentleman. In reports, he was described as being the salt of the earth and a generally good person.
“His brother described him as a devoted brother, son and friend, and someone who is very much missed by his family.
“You drove into him and he was thrown with his cycle through the air and unfortunately he died from his injuries.
“No sentence I can impose could ever make up for the loss of Mr Harrison, who was so loved by his friends and made such a contribution to life.”
Tuck was also disqualified from driving for two years and will have to sit an extended test to regain his licence.
