Van driver who killed work colleague and fled scene after collision avoids jail

A van driver who killed his work colleague in a motorcycle crash has avoided jail after being handed a suspended sentence at Birmingham Crown Court.

Carl Sargeant, 45, from Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving after hitting 30-year-old Martyn Ball on the A34 at Tittensor in August 2022.

Ball died in hospital six days after the collision, during which Sargeant failed to stop at the scene.

The court heard that Sargeant and Ball had been drinking at a pub in Stone with other security staff colleagues before leaving at around 3:40am.

Sargeant, driving an LDV Maxus van, ignored a one-way road and took a shortcut onto Newcastle Road.

As he joined the A34, he got too close to Ball’s blue Yamaha motorbike near Winghouse Lane, causing him to crash into the central reservation.

The prosecutor told the court Sargeant’s vehicle was poorly maintained and had no speedometer, though these defects were not found to have contributed to the fatal collision.

In a moving victim impact statement, Ball’s mother Lynne said: “I feel great sadness most of the time. I feel that part of my heart has been torn out.”

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She described how the stress had caused her to lose 75 per cent of her hair, adding: “I feel as if I have aged 100 years.”

Ball’s sister Rachel told the court: “Since my brother has passed my life has felt like I am in a living hell. The joy and happiness in life I used to feel isn’t the same any more. I am constantly aching for him to appear. My heart is broken.”

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said she did not find “genuine remorse” in Sargeant’s actions, though acknowledged his learning difficulties may have impacted his decision-making.

Sargeant received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He was banned from driving for two years and must take an extended retest before getting behind the wheel again.

The judge said suspending the sentence would allow Sargeant to work with probation to “address his failings as a driver and as a human being.” He was also ordered to pay £1,200 in costs.

In a tribute released after his death in 2022, Ball’s family said: “Martyn lived life to the full and was loved by many. Martyn was always happy and a ray of light in everyone’s lives who knew him.”

Sergeant Rich Moors from the serious collision investigation unit said: “My thoughts and condolences are still very much with Mr Ball’s family following the conclusion of this investigation today.”