A driver who admitted causing the death of a young mother who was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike ridden by her boyfriend has been jailed for more than five years.
Keaton Muldoon, 23, was acquitted after a trial at Derby Crown Court of murdering 25-year-old Alana Armstrong and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, who had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash on November 26 last year.
Before the trial began, Muldoon, of Tuckers Lane in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.
Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury of 11 women and one man during the trial that he “did not know” he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery on the evening of November 26 last year, and thought he had overtaken Mr Newton-Kay’s bike at a passing point.
The prosecution alleged that Muldoon “pursued” the couple, and another electric bike ridden by a friend of Mr Newton-Kay, after they stopped near the defendant’s 4×4 at a lay-by and shined their lights inside the vehicle.
The defendant told the court he feared he was going to be robbed but did not “chase” the Sur-Ron off-road bike for more than a mile from the lay-by in Sampsons Lane, Pleasley.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecution counsel Sally Howes KC on Friday, Mr Newton-Kay said “nothing feels right” without his partner, adding: “I can’t see a future without her in it.
“My life has been turned upside down. I have lost my leg and the love of my life by the age of 23.”
In another statement, Ms Armstrong’s mother said she was a “kind-hearted soul” who wanted the best for everyone she cared about.
She said: “I have lost my baby… As a family, we feel tormented that she has lost her life because of someone else’s actions.”
Defending Muldoon, Adrian Langdale KC said the defendant was “extremely young” at the time of the incident but had written a “mature” letter to Judge Shaun Smith KC highlighting his remorse for what happened.
Judge Smith imposed a sentence of five years and three months for causing the death of Ms Armstrong, with concurrent sentences of 27 months for injuring Mr Newton-Kay and one month for driving whilst disqualified.
He banned him from driving for 12 and a half years and said he must serve at least half of his sentence before he can be released on extended licence.
He said he could not be sure that Muldoon’s vehicle made contact with Mr Newton-Kay’s bike, but he was satisfied that it was the defendant’s dangerous driving that made the bike lose control.
He said: “You were irritated by what happened and decided you were going to teach them a lesson by frightening them.
“What you did was, on more than occasion, got close to one or more of the e-bikes to frighten them.
“It was not only dangerous, but carried the real risk of a collision or cause one of them to lose control, leading to potentially tragic consequences.
“I take the view that each decision you took that night was conscious and deliberate. You knew exactly what you were doing.”
Despite this, the judge accepted Muldoon had not intended to cause death or injury that evening.
He said: “You didn’t set out that night to injure or kill someone. You are, I accept, truly remorseful.”
He added: “There is no price of a human life, but neither can sentence be measured by revenge.
“It cannot return Alana to those who love her or return Mr Newton-Kay to full health.
“Those who know and love Alana have been utterly crushed and devastated.”
