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02
Oct
'Arrogant' pensioner who caused death of biker near Boroughbridge avoids jail
A pensioner whose careless driving caused the death of a motorcyclist near Boroughbridge has been spared jail but will have to wear an electronic curfew tag and work unpaid in the community after a judge slammed him for his lack of remorse.
William Beckett, 81, pulled out of a junction onto the B6265 at Aldborough into the path of Nicholas Gilroy’s motorcycle, giving the rider “no chance” to avoid a collision, York Crown Court heard.
The resulting crash caused Mr Gilroy, a former RAF officer, to be thrown from his bike, landing on a grass verge.
Mr Gilroy, who was an experienced rider, died from his injuries on July 29, 2023, two months after the crash in the village near Boroughbridge.
Beckett was charged with causing death by careless driving but denied the offence, which meant that Mr Gilroy’s family had to go through the trauma of a trial in August.
A jury found Beckett guilty as charged and he appeared for sentence at the Crown Court today (October 2).
‘We are so devastated’
Prosecutor Paul Mitchell said that, according to expert road-accident investigators, Mr Gilroy and his motorbike would have been visible to Beckett for about nine seconds before he exited the junction.
One of Mr Gilroy’s sisters read out a moving victim-impact statement on behalf of her family.
She said
We are so devastated.
Nick was a lovely, well-educated and clever man. At a young age, he joined the RAF and ended up an officer.
She said that Mr Gilroy had travelled to over 180 countries while serving his country and one of his foreign trips included a motorbike tour of the United States.
After returning from the USA, Mr Gilroy wrote a book about his experience in the States.
She added:
He took (road) safety very seriously and held an advanced motorcycle driving licence, so we know he was a responsible driver.
In our eyes, Nick was the victim of a totally unnecessary crash. We would have liked to have had some remorse, some sorrow, some guilt and shame (from Beckett). Our brother’s life is now gone in a flash.
Beckett had been visiting friends in Aldborough and was driving back home when the crash occurred at about 5.30pm on May 20, 2023.
Accident investigators for both the prosecution and defence agreed that when Beckett’s car pulled out onto the B6265 from its junction with Front Street, Mr Gilroy’s motorcycle would have been clearly visible.
Beckett, of Vernham Dean, Hampshire, was quizzed by police on the day of the accident and told officers that after exiting the junction with the B6265, he got “about halfway across the road and suddenly there was a terrific bang”.
York Crown Court
He said he saw a motorcyclist “flying past the front of my car and landing with his bike on the grass verge”.
The pensioner, who was a regular visitor to Aldborough, claimed he didn’t see the motorbike which “came from my right from the direction of Boroughbridge”.
Beckett also claimed that Mr Gilroy’s motorbike didn’t have its lights switched on when they provably were and even claimed that the rider was wearing a camouflage jacket, which wasn’t true either.
He also claimed at one stage that his vision had been obscured by two cyclists who weren’t at the scene at the time of the crash.
Defence barrister Nicholas Hammond said that Beckett had led a previously blameless life, had a hitherto “good driving record” and was still working.
Arrogant and without remorse
Judge Sean Morris slammed Beckett for his lack of remorse, pointing out that he had not shown a hint of contrition since being arrested and throughout the trial.
He told Beckett:
You caused the death by careless driving of a much-loved family member, a man who had also served his country in the fighting forces, and on this day, through your carelessness, you snuffed out his life.
He added:
There was in my view no defence to this case. The prosecution and defence experts agree the motorbike was there to be seen.
Mr Morris said that throughout the trial he found Beckett to be “without remorse and arrogant”.
He added:
I’ve never seen such self-praise from any man about himself. There wasn’t a hint of remorse in your evidence to the jury. The ‘remorse’ you have arrives just before sentence. I don’t think it’s genuine.
The judge said he would “dearly love to lock you up”, but he had to consider Beckett’s age, his lack of previous convictions, his previously good driving record, as well as new sentencing legislation and case law.
Mr Morris added:
And therefore, it is the will of Parliament that I have to suspend the (inevitable jail sentence) and my heart goes out to the (victim’s) family.
The 12-month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months. During that time, Beckett will have to carry out 180 hours’ unpaid work in the community.
He was also made subject to a six-month doorstep curfew which bans him leaving his home between 6pm and 6am daily.
Beckett was banned from driving for three years.
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