Beloved grandad killed

A dangerous driver killed a 'kind, caring, full of fun, generous' grandad while 'prolifically' using Snapchat, Facebook Messenger and Instagram on her phone. Ian Morris, 71, from Bedale in Yorkshire, died on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 28, 2023 after he was struck by Lisa Waugh's car while cycling. He died immediately.

Mr Morris, a dad of two, and a grandad to four, had been wearing a fluorescent green cycling jersey and had a flashing red light on the rear of his bicycle on the A6055 Leeming Lane near Kirklington. But this did not stop Waugh, 31, ploughing into the back of him. As she made that fatal blow, she was busy checking social media on her phone.

"I lost half of me that day," said Mr Morris' devastated widow, Pauline, in 2024. "I lost my lovely husband; my sons lost their father and my grandchildren their grandfather. "To me he was my everything - friend, lover, partner, and teammate. "He was kind, polite, caring, full of fun, grumpy at times, but a generous man who loved to plan surprises.

He was very proud of his sons, Tim and Jon, and was very happy that they had both married two wonderful girls Becky and Tara who had given him four wonderful grandchildren and loved them very dearly."

Waugh, a serving soldier with the Royal Logistics Corp of the British Army at the time, had left her place of work at Alanbrooke Barracks at around 2pm to return home. Mr Morris was cycling northbound when Waugh, travelling in the same direction, struck the rear of Mr Morris' bicycle. At around 2.24pm, the emergency services were alerted to the collision by a member of the public, reports YorkshireLive[1].

Digital Forensic Unit officers were able to prove that Waugh, who was driving alone, had been using her phone prolifically up to the point of the collision. They found she had been locking and unlocking of her phone 10 times, 13 outgoing messages from Facebook Messenger and six outgoing messages from Snapchat. Overall, there had been 34 incoming and outgoing messages during this time.

Significantly, the digital evidence report showed that the handset had locked at 2.24pm with the Instagram app on the screen.

North Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Laura Cleary said: "Waugh claimed during police interview that she had not seen Mr Morris on his bicycle and even suggested that he must have swerved out in front of her car. "Witnesses to the collision challenged her version of events, stating that Mr Morris was riding normally and wearing a long-sleeved fluorescent green cycling jersey and had a flashing red light on the rear of his bicycle at the time of the collision. "They said it was Waugh's car that had veered towards Mr Morris.

Thankfully, Waugh has now admitted causing death by dangerous driving and accepts that she was driving while using a mobile phone." Waugh was handed a six year and eight month jail sentence on Friday, February 7, after pleading guilty at Teesside Crown Court. She also received a driving ban of five and a half years and must undertake an extended driving test.

These come into effect only when she is released from prison.

References

1. ^ YorkshireLive (www.examinerlive.co.uk)