David Fudge: Widow requests husband's killer does not go to jail

An 89-year-old driver who killed a motorcyclist while making a U-turn has been spared jail after a request from the victim's widow.

David Fudge, 66, was killed on the A4146 near Billington, Bedfordshire, on 18 November 2018.

William Curtis was convicted of causing death by careless driving and given a suspended 26-week prison sentence.

A sentencing hearing at Cambridge Crown Court was told Mr Fudge's widow "does not seek Mr Curtis to go to prison".

Mr Fudge had been performing a legal overtake, and the trial heard Curtis, Oak Close, Irchester, Northamptonshire, "failed to ensure a safe gap" and chose an "inappropriate" place to make a U-turn after taking a wrong turn at a roundabout.

The trial was told errors were made in an original police report in 2019 and Bedfordshire Police has since apologised to Mr Fudge's widow, Claire Montgomery.

She told the BBC it was only after she paid for her own private report into the crash that Curtis was charged.

On Friday, when prosecutor Simon Wilshere told Cambridge Crown Court that Mrs Montgomery "does not seek Mr Curtis to go to prison", the defendant dabbed his eyes with his hand.

Judge Jonathan Seely said the indication by Mrs Montgomery "speaks volumes about the decency, compassion and understanding of Mrs Montgomery and is an extraordinary tribute to her".

He told Curtis that Mr Fudge "has been taken from those who love him because of your driving, and the sense of utter loss and grief on the part of those who love him is almost physically palpable".

The judge said he had seen a letter from the defendant in which he "expressed heartfelt sorrow and remorse" for what happened.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by their son, Luke Fudge, Mrs Montgomery said: "Dave was the innocent victim of this avoidable tragedy.

"He merely went for a Sunday ride out with his friends but never came home."

Mrs Montgomery said Mr Fudge was "loved by all", and called him a "devoted husband".

She said her husband was considered an "extremely experienced, confident and safe motorbike rider".

Mrs Montgomery said Mr Fudge "would never get to see his baby twin granddaughters, born last year".

Ian Bridge, mitigating, said the crash "haunts" the defendant, adding: "I should say once again for the record how devastated he is by what's happened."

Curtis, who the court heard has relinquished his licence, said "I don't want to drive".

He was disqualified from driving for three years and must complete an extended retest if he were to apply for a licence.

At the time Curtis was convicted, the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police said: "The learnings from this case informed a review and restructure of the teams responsible for the investigation of fatal collisions to make improvements and ultimately prevent it from happening again."

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