A FATHER blamed for killing a motorcyclist who crashed into his 4x4 wept as he was spared jail by a judge.

Andrew Lee, from Underhill, Wallingford, yesterday admitted causing death by careless driving following the crash which killed Adrian Chambers.

Mr Chambers’ widow and two daughters cried in the public gallery as details of the case were read out.

Judge Francis Sheridan at Aylesbury Crown Court heard that Lee, 51, had suffered a breakdown following the crash shortly before noon on June 8.

Our top stories

Father-of-three Mr Chambers was riding a Yamaha R1 motorcycle when Lee pulled out from a junction at Christmas Common onto the A40.

Mr Chambers, 42, was driving within the speed limit but could do nothing to avoid smashing into the side of the 4x4, throwing him from the bike and causing him multiple injuries. The mechanic was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but later died.

At the scene, Lee, who suffered minor injuries, told witnesses he had thought he had plenty of time to pull out.

The court heard that the BMW’s A-frame may have created a blind spot around which the married father-of-two could not see Mr Chambers’ bike.

Sentencing Lee, Judge Sheridan said: “I have, sat in front of me, a thoroughly decent widow of Mr Chambers, two lovely daughters of Mr Chambers and their letters, which would make anybody cry. They miss their dad. He was an absolute rock as far as his wife was concerned.”

Justin Rouse, defending Lee, said he wished to accept full responsibility.

Lee was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for 15 months and told to pay £670 in costs. He was also told to take part in a restorative justice process if the Chambers family wanted it.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.