A speeding motorist who was sending a text message when she crashed into a teenage cyclist was convicted yesterday of causing his death by dangerous driving and was told that she faces a jail sentence.

 

Jordan Wickington, 19, who had not been wearing a cycling helmet, died in hospital later that day.

 

The court was told that Kiera Coultas, 25, did not see him at a busy junction on February 7 last year because she was sending the text at the time. She was replying to a message from her estranged husband.

 

Coultas, a hotel manager, admitted that her BMW was doing 45mph in a 30mph limit when she drove on to the junction in Southampton shortly after 7am. She told Southampton Crown Court that she had received three fixed penalty tickets for speeding ? two of the offences were committed on a road leading to the junction.

 

Mr Wickington, a scaffolder, of Netley Abbey, Hampshire, had stopped at the traffic lights but then went through them when they were red and was about two-thirds across the junction when the BMW hit him.

 

Police initially could not understand why Coultas had not seen the cyclist but checks on her phone later revealed she had just received a message from her estranged husband whom she was on her way to meet.

 

Judge Jeremy Burford QC adjourned sentence until February 29 and warned her that she faced a jail term, saying: “Custody is the likely sentence for an offence of this sort.”

 

He ordered her to surrender her passport, not to travel outside England and Wales, and to live at a hotel in Hythe until sentence.

 

The judge also imposed an interim driving disqualification. Coultas, of Hythe, had denied causing death by dangerous driving.

 

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Wickington’s sister, Laura, said that the past year had been extremely hard.

 

“The loss of Jordan is a pain that will stay with us for ever,” she added. “He was a bright, intelligent and beautiful person who will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.

 

“We are pleased with the outcome of this trial and hope Jordan’s death will prevent or deter others from using their mobile phones whilst driving.” Alison West, of Hampshire Constabulary’s road death investigation team, recommended that drivers switched “ off their mobile phones during journeys.

 

“It's pretty routine nowadays at the scene of these serious or fatal accidents to seize drivers’ mobile phones, and to have them analysed to see if the phone has had anything to do with the driving standards involved,” she said.

 

“In this particular incident, it transpired from a phone analysis that there was phone use close to the time of the incident.”

 

Last year a teenage driver who knocked down and killed a milkman while sending a text message to a girlfriend was jailed by Bournemouth Crown Court for four years. Motorists who use mobile phones while driving can be jailed for up to two years under new guidelines published by prosecutors in December.

 

Endangering others while using a handheld mobile phone, satellite navigation system or iPod at the wheel can now be treated as dangerous driving rather than careless driving.

 

The change means that drivers face up to two years in prison, the maximum penalty for dangerous driving, instead of the £5,000 and penalty points under a careless driving prosecution.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3292540.ece

I saw three drivers using mobiles (one texting) yesterday and I wasn't even looking. Lets make Kiera Coultas an example and send her down for 30 years.

Ugh! Drivers should know better! Is it illegal to not wear a helmet over there?

Ugh! Drivers should know better! Is it illegal to not wear a helmet over there?

 

Wearing a helmet isn't a legal requirement, because whenever the governement pipe up about it, you get the anti-helmet people piping up about helmets can cause more problems then they sort out (and besides if you are on a push-bike and a 40-ton lorry hits you, let's face it, helmet or no helmet, you're in deep shit). It's a legal requirement to wear helmets on motorcycles, with a few exceptions to the rule.

 

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I know it's mean, but they should send that woman down for a long time and ban her from driving for life. Talking on a phone is one-thing, but texting is another thing.

Mobile phone use should not be torerated at all.. when in control of a motor veichle.

 

However I have seen the Police being over Zelious with this one, when I was visiting the UK a coach driver got pulled by the Police for using his phone whilst the coach was stationary, but the engine was on. I think he would have ended up losing his job,

It depends which part of the country your in, whenever the police can be bothered cracking down on mobile-phone use.

Mr Wickington, a scaffolder, of Netley Abbey, Hampshire, had stopped at the traffic lights but then went through them when they were red and was about two-thirds across the junction when the BMW hit him.

 

I'm suprised hardly nobody in the media picked up on the point that the cyclist was jumping the red light, so all the blame can't be put on the motorist. True she was speeding and true she was sending a text when driving, both are idiotic actions, but if the cyclist didn't jump the red light, he wouldn't be dead

but then if she was paying attention she would have been able to attempt to miss him, he wouldn't be dead and she could take him to court for causing an accident

something just as bad...

 

A woman stopped to talk on her mobile, on double yellow lines, peak time in the evening on a v busy dual carriageway. Causing chaos & dangerous

 

all she had to do was drive 20yards down the road and onto a side street.

 

 

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But maybe that's woman's call was so important she couldn't wait...

 

...And at least she pulled over

but then if you know you may need to answer your phone whilst driving, you should wear a hands free kit or get a bluetooth.

i never take a hands free kit out because i have no intention of answering my phone whilst driving. its in my bag under my seat so i couldn't reach it if it tried. if its important, they can leave a message and i'll respond once i finish driving

If my phone goes off when driving, if there is a suitable place to park, I will to take it, otherwise I will phone back when in a suitable place.

 

If it's important, they will call again