A van driver who killed a cyclist while distracted by WhatsApp messages has been given a suspended prison sentence. Shayne Hill, 32, struck Cheryl Tye, 54, on the A11 at Roudham, near Thetford, Norfolk, on June 26, 2022, after being 'engaged with his phone' for 10 seconds.
Mrs Tye, a keen triathlete, was taking part in an organised time trial event with her husband when she was hit by Hill's blue Citroen Dispatch van. She hit the windscreen and was thrown into the air, suffering multiple injuries. Despite attempts by other motorists to revive her with CPR, she died at the scene.
Hill told police he was using his phone as a satellite navigation device and had to clear message notifications that were obscuring his screen. His sister had sent him around 25 pictures on WhatsApp showing a family barbecue the previous day. He initially denied causing death by dangerous driving but was cleared after a trial and admitted a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.
Judge Anthony Bate gave Hill a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, banned him from driving for a year, and ordered him to complete 30 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation. The judge described Mrs Tye's death as a 'very sad case' and noted Hill's 'inattention on the road ahead' caused the crash.
Mrs Tye's husband Christopher said in a statement that he had 'come to the numbing realisation that having set off together in this race he's now on his own'. He said he could no longer take part in such races. Hill's defence barrister Michael Clare said Hill had been 'looking down at his drinks bottle or wiping messages from his screen' and described it as a 'brief but avoidable distraction'.
