Woman who killed motorcyclist while on hands-free call jailed for three years
Video report by ITV News National Editor Allegra Stratton
A woman who caused the death of a motorcyclist while driving on a hands-free call has been jailed for three years.
Samantha Ayres was 27 minutes into a phone call when she hit David Kirk, with her whole vehicle on the wrong side of the road at a bend.
The 26-year-old motorcyclist was killed instantly in the head-on collision in Horsington, Lincolnshire.
Ayres, 34, pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, claiming she had lost control by hitting mud, grass or a pothole.
Evidence from the scene however showed there were no such hazards on the road, and she was found guilty at trial last week.
Speaking outside court following the sentencing, David Kirk's sister Elizabeth Kirk said: "People say time heals but we all wake up every morning with the same pain we felt the day it happened, hoping it was a horrible nightmare. And then having to go through another day without seeing David's cheeky smile, or hearing his voice. Time does not heal."
The police have warned that being on a hands-free call is no defence if a driver loses concentration.