Driver who killed Somerset cyclist given suspended sentence

A man whose wife was killed by a speeding driver said the justice system had let him down after the driver was given a suspended sentence.

Victoria Hamer collided with 57-year-old Lorraine Barrow near Blackford in Somerset on 17 September 2020.

Mrs Barrow died at the scene, in front of her own home, three days after her 35th wedding anniversary.

Her husband Chris Barrow said the courts had "gone too far in protecting the rights of the perpetrator".

Hamer was driving a red Volkswagen Polo on the B3139 when she crashed at about 18:20 BST.

The 26-year-old said she had been blinded by the low sun and did not see Mrs Barrow or her bicycle.

She pleaded guilty to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Police investigations established Hamer had been travelling at a minimum of 44mph (64km/h).

The speed limit for that stretch of road is 30mph (48km/h).

Mrs Barrow suffered significant head injuries and died at the scene, outside her own home.

In his victim impact statement read to Taunton Crown Court, Mr Barrow said the couple rarely spent time apart and he felt he "really did win the marriage lottery".

He told Hamer: "You have not only taken the life of my beloved Lorraine, but you changed my life, my future and my personality.

"I don't just miss Lorraine - I pine for her every minute of every day.

"You have not broken my heart; you have ripped it out."

Judge Paul Cook sentenced Hamer, of Sandpiper Close, Bridgwater to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He also issued a six-month curfew and ordered her to carry out 200 hours of community service.

Hamer has been banned from driving for 30 months and will have to take an advanced driving test to regain her licence.

The judge told her: "You were well over the speed limit and you were driving into blinding sunlight. You were unable to see ahead of you, your proper reaction should have been to slow down - this was short-lived dangerous driving."

He said he had taken into account Hamer's early guilty plea, remorse and the assistance she gave at the scene.

Reacting to the sentence, Mr Barrow said: "The justice system is not just about justice for the victim, which will never be enough, but also about setting a deterrent for others.

"This sentence does neither.

"Victoria Hamer will serve her sentence and most likely go on to live a normal life which, in all probability, will extend beyond Lorraine's 57 years.

"Why does society in general think that speeding is a low-level crime? It is not.

"The effect it has on generations of families, in our case four generations, is devastating, shattering and crushing.

"We do not have a God-given right to drive a vehicle how we want and without due consideration to other road users."

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