A lorry driver who was watching pornography on his phone moments before crashing into another vehicle on the M69, killing the driver, has been jailed for eight years.
Felix Gillon, 56, struck Kerry Pemberton's lorry on the southbound carriageway in Leicestershire on 3 May, crushing him against the safety barrier. The court heard Gillon had searched for "porn star candy love" four minutes prior to the collision and was seen trying to dispose of his phone afterwards.
Gillon, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, denied causing death by dangerous driving and attempting to pervert the course of justice but was convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court and sentenced on Thursday. An off-duty police officer witnessed him throwing his phone away, but it was recovered.
Mr Justice Haddon-Cave described the evidence as "overwhelming" and noted that Gillon had "carefully, deliberately and surreptitiously" disposed of the phone. The former Army sergeant had accessed 25 web pages containing pornographic images just before the crash.
Mr Pemberton, 55, from Birmingham, died from a heart attack on the way to hospital after being cut free from the wreckage. In a victim impact statement, his partner Cheryl said: "I miss the kiss I would get when he came home from work, the cuddles with his long, powerful arms and his smile."
