A driver who killed a Fife cyclist and then tried to cover the fact she had been using her mobile phone has been jailed for five years.
Mum-of-two Julie Watson tried to cover her tracks by deleting a record of the call after colliding with experienced Glenrothes cyclist Alistair Speed on the A91 between Strathmiglo and Gateside, in September 2013.
Sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, Lord Kinclaven said: “You have demonstrated remorse which I accept is genuine for causing Mr Speed’s death and you are well aware of the devastation that has been caused to Mr Speed’s family and indeed all those who knew him.
“The use of a mobile phone (while driving) has the capacity to wreck lives and literally kill.
“The fact an offender is avoidably distracted by the use of a mobile phone when committing an offence of this sort will always make an offence more serious.”
In addition to the jail term, Watson was also disqualified from driving for 10 years.
She was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and attempting to defeat the ends of justice after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Mr Speed, who was 49 and died from severe head injuries, was described by friends as a “gentleman”.
Meanwhile, the victim’s sister, Mhairi Laffoley, 48, said the effect of the incident on her family had been “horrendous”.
“My parents died within 12 weeks of the accident,” she said.
“It will never be the same. He was everything to us.
“Alistair started riding his bike on the road as a seven-year-old boy.
“He started competing as a cyclist from the age of 12. He was a very, very competent cyclist.
“He was very steady. He didn’t take risks.
“I entrusted him to take my son out on his bike from the age of nine and a half.”
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