Family's 'incredibly painful' wait for justice over

The brother of a motorcyclist killed in a crash involving a defective tractor says his family can begin to look forward after an "incredibly painful" four-year wait for justice.

Dr Steven Lee, 26, was riding his motorbike on the A40 near Ganarew, Ross-on-Wye, on 11 August 2022 when he was involved in the collision.

Philip Baker, 61, of Wonastow, Monmouthshire, was jailed for eight years at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Lee's brother, Danny Sargeant, said: "Nothing is ever going to feel like enough but we think based on the law and the way the judge explained how he came to that [sentence], we think that it's a fair outcome."

Baker, who was found guilty on 28 July following a trial at Worcester Crown Court, was also given a nine-year driving ban.

In the moments before the fatal collision, the farmer had been drawing straw from a field and was travelling from Walford towards Monmouth on the A40.

The tractor and trailer had a number of dangerous defects, including no amber beacon to warn other road users of the slow-moving vehicle.

Officers investigating the crash identified the lack of a beacon as the main cause of the collision.

The trailer's brakes did not work and were not connected to the tractor cab, while the hydraulic line between the two was poorly maintained.

The lights cable was held on by baler twine and the trailer was overloaded with straw bales.

Baker had also been travelling at a speed significantly below the posted speed limit.

Lee, who died at the scene, grew up in Runcorn, Cheshire. He had been living between Rhos-on-Sea and the University of Swansea at the time of his death.

Sargeant, from Audlem, Cheshire, said it was "early days" but he hoped the sentence would help provide closure for his family.

He said: "It's been over four years since the incident, which has been incredibly painful... waiting for that trial has been horrendous for everybody involved.

"But now it's over, hopefully we can start to look forward."

Sargeant added: "One of the biggest things we were pleased with from both the trial and the judge's comments today, was that Steven was completely innocent in the incident.

"People often hear about accidents involving a motorbike and assume the rider or the motorbike was to blame. This was certainly not the case here and the judge did a great job in his summary of confirming that."

He paid tribute to his brother's "many, many achievements", including teaching piano and flying planes, both in his teens.

"The guy was just incredible. As we said in our victim impact statements today, it's a huge, huge loss for everybody," he said.

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