A grandmother who killed a beloved father by slamming down her brakes after she became angry on the motorway has been jailed for five years.
Collette Gibson, 55, was driving along the A249 near Sittingbourne, Kent in April 2022 when she grew frustrated with a motorist driving ‘close’ behind her.
Maidstone Crown Court heard Gibson, from South Ockenden in Essex, braked ‘aggressively’ – leading to a multi-vehicle collision.
The BMW immediately behind her, driven by Robert Davis, 51, was forced to brake abruptly, causing motorcyclist Paul Wright, 51, to crash into it.
Mr Wright, a father-of-three from East Malling in Kent, died from his injuries after he was thrown from his Harley-Davidson bike.
Judge Philip St John-Stevens told Gibson: ‘This is a tragic case, because of the untimely death of Paul Wright and the ripple effect on his family, and indeed yours.
‘Paul Wright, driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle, hit the rear of the BMW and was thrown from the vehicle.
‘[Your defence case] was that the driver [behind you] was so close that he was effectively tailgating.
Collette Gibson (pictured), 55, was driving along the A249 near Sittingbourne, Kent in April 2022 when she grew frustrated with a motorist driving ‘close’ behind her
The BMW immediately behind her, driven by Robert Davis, 51, was forced to brake abruptly, causing motorcyclist Paul Wright (pictured), 51, to crash into it
‘The jury rejected that. He was not tailgating. You took the deliberate act of applying your brakes.’
The court heard Gibson became irritated with the BMW behind her, causing her to suddenly brake.
She was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, despite denying the charge as well as the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.
Stephen Shay, prosecuting, told the court: ‘This case involves a collision of a number of vehicles. Collette Gibson was driving a Vauxhall Zafira. Immediately behind her was a BMW driven by Robert Davis.
‘Immediately behind Robert Davis was the Harley-Davidson motorcycle driven by Paul Wright, and a Mercedes behind that.
‘The four vehicles were all travelling northeast on the A249. The road is two lanes; the speed is 70mph. [The vehicles] were all in lane two.
‘The BMW collided with the rear of the Vauxhall Zafira; the motorcycle with the rear of the BMW, and that caused Mr Wright to be thrown from his motorcycle, resulting in fatal injuries.
‘The series of collisions were caused by Collette Gibson braking sharply and unnecessarily in lane two.’
The court heard Gibson became irritated with the BMW behind her, causing her to suddenly brake. She is seen here speaking to police after the crash
The A249 Sheppey-bound near Bobbing in Sittingbourne is pictured
The court previously heard Gibson’s case at trial was the BMW collided with her vehicle twice.
However Mr Shay urged jurors to reject the claim as there was ‘no prior impact before the brakes were applied’.
He added: ‘Why were the brakes applied? It would seem that Ms Gibson was annoyed in some way by the driving of Mr Davis.
‘If what she was doing was giving him a warning, then what she did was more dangerous.
‘If she thought he was too close, to apply the brakes in the manner she did only increased the [likelihood] of a collision.
‘This is clearly dangerous driving.’
Statements from Mr Wright’s wife and daughter told of the weight of the loss of Mr Wright, a night traffic management supervisor, on their lives.
Mr Wright’s wife told the court his mother came to stay with her after the accident.
Defending, Craig Rush said Gibson’s braking had been a ‘momentary lapse with terrible consequences’
Emily Wright, Mr Wright’s daughter, sobbed as she told the court her father had never got the chance to meet any of his three grandchildren. The motorcyclist is pictured here
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‘We spent hours sobbing. Our hearts were torn apart,’ she said. ‘I was pleased to know police had charged the female responsible for Paul’s death.
‘I found it difficult to comprehend how the defendant failed to show any remorse throughout the trial.
‘I found [Gibson] quite brazen. I have lost my husband and the person I love due to a split-second decision the defendant has made.’
Emily Wright, Mr Wright’s daughter, sobbed as she told the court her father had never got the chance to meet any of his three grandchildren.
‘I would have loved for him to have met [my two children],’ she said.
‘I will always make sure my children know who he was and what an incredible grandad he would have been.
‘Pictures are all [his grandchildren] will know him by. We should have been able to call him for advice and create memories. It breaks my heart knowing that this will never happen.
‘We will forever miss your guidance, your support and your love. You deserved so much more time. Without you, we are deeply devastated.’
Defending, Craig Rush said Gibson’s braking had been a ‘momentary lapse with terrible consequences’.
‘The evidence is clear that tailgating was not the right expression, but [Mr Davis] was close behind, trying to push someone over so he could drive past.
‘The driver behind should have left enough room that he could stop. He didn’t.
‘She needed to slow down because she was creeping over the speed limit.
‘Her concern was there would be no warning to the driver. By flashing her brakes on, there would be a warning. That was her intention. It’s a bad piece of driving, lacking in skill and consequences.
‘She’s someone who made a mistake. The consequences of that mistake are utterly tragic.’
However, Judge St John-Stevens reminded Mr Rush that jurors in her trial had rejected Gibson’s version of events.
‘One of the witnesses [said] it looked like your car was going backwards or doing an emergency stop, such was the effect of you braking so severely,’ he said.
‘Paul Wright was 51. [He] was a caring and loving individual with a heart of gold, who would have no doubt made a tremendous grandfather.
‘No words can ever reflect the love and respect [his family] had for him. No sentence I can pass can reflect your loss.’
Judge St John-Stevens jailed Gibson for five years – of which she will serve at least half in custody – and banned her from driving.
