A driver found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving for hitting and killing a cyclist has been jailed for five years after phone analysis showed he sent a text message just seconds before the fatal collision.

Alexander Martin, 31, hit and killed 65-year-old Stephen Lawrence in a crash in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, at around 6pm on 12 April 2021, the motorist knocking the cyclist onto the windscreen before continuing for 70 metres along the road with the rider's bike underneath his car.

Mr Lawrence was, Ipswich Crown Court heard, wearing bright orange high-visibility clothing at the time, but was not seen and suffered serious injuries and died at the scene, ITV (link is external) reports.

Martin claimed he had not seen the cyclist as he was blinded by the sun (worth a try - sjm), however the jury rejected his explanation of events having heard evidence obtained by analysing the driver's phone.

Suffolk Police said that before the collision Martin stopped at a petrol station and was seen to be looking down at something as he left the forecourt..

Analysis of his mobile phone found that the motorist had sent a message 34 seconds before a 999 call was made to report the crash, something Martin denied, arguing the data was not accurate.

The vehicle involved was also deemed to have a dirty and unsafe windscreen, the driver's side windscreen wiper broken.

Commenting on the case, Mark Bassett, a sergeant with Suffolk Police said they were left "in no doubt" that distraction played a part in Mr Lawrence's death.

"The phone data analysis proved that Alexander Martin sent a message just prior to or at the time of the collision and we are in no doubt that the distraction caused by his phone – combined with the dirty windscreen – are the reasons why he failed to see Mr Lawrence," he said.

"Martin has failed to show any true remorse for his actions and the devastating impact they have caused and I hope that his conviction and today's sentence brings some comfort to Mr Lawrence's family.

"We regularly run campaigns regarding the risks of driving and using a mobile phone because it is extremely dangerous and results in numerous collisions, some of which – as in this case – have fatal consequences.

"This was a tragic and completely avoidable collision, which has resulted in a loving family having a husband, father and grandfather torn away from them."

Martin was banned from driving for five-and-a-half years. In February, the government announced a 'Call for Evidence' after a now-closed petition called for lifetime driving bans for offenders convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

The petition was started by Angela Burke, whose 14-year-old daughter Courtney Ellis was killed in 2020 by speeding driver Brandon Turton. The 21-year-old driver was subsequently jailed for six years and nine months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, and banned from driving for seven years.

"I would like to change the law on if you are convicted for causing death by dangerous driving then a lifetime driving ban should be imposed, they should never be allowed to drive again," she said. "My child was killed by a speeding driver, who was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

"My child suffered horrific instant death injuries, the driver was driving at speeds of 73-93mph when he hit her on a 30mph road, he was sentenced to nine years minus 25 per cent reduction for going guilty and was also given a seven-year driving ban to start immediately.

"When he's released he will have four years of the ban left. Driving is a luxury and it should be taken away if convicted of this crime. I've lost my child forever."

https://road.cc/content/news/five-year-sentence-driver-who-killed-cyclist-302993