A lorry driver ploughed into a car and killed a 20-year-old woman while watching PORN on his phone.
Ian Glover had been flicking through images of women on explicit dating sites when he ploughed into a car that had pulled over into the hard shoulder.
The crash caused a Vauxhall carrying Laura Thomas and her fiance, Lewis Pagett, both 20, to fly over the safety barrier.
Despite the work of emergency crews at the scene, Laura – who wanted to become a teacher for disabled children – died on the way to hospital.
Glover, 44, was jailed at Shrewsbury Crown Court for five years after admitting dangerous driving.
The couple had broken down while driving to Aberystwyth for a day trip from their home in Stafford last July.
As the couple phoned for help, Glover – who was browsing the explicit sites – ploughed into their car.
Speaking after the court case, Lewis, who was left with a head injury and fractured vertebrae following the crash, said: “Laura and I were looking forward to planning our wedding together – instead, I ended up planning her funeral.
“We had known each other since we were 13, and we were so excited to spend the rest of our lives together.
“Laura had so much life to give, she had a heart of gold and aimed to become a teacher for disabled children.
“It is devastating to discover that Glover had been looking at dating sites when he hit our car – the crash was completely avoidable.
“Our car had broken down and we had been forced to pull up on to a grass verge.
“We were on our way to Aberystwyth for a week by the sea and I had to put my hazard lights on and call my dad.
“One minute we were standing over the safety barrier on the A5 then the next thing I remember is being on the floor in a heap of rubble. I got up and looked over at Laura, she was in a bad way.
“I started performing CPR until paramedics took over.”
Laura’s mum, Lisa, 45, said: “I makes me feel sick that Groves killed my girl while looking at porn.
“He assessed sites such as ‘Shagaholic.co.uk’ and ‘Sexuk.com’ around 11 times in a less than a mile radius – why would someone be looking at such sites while driving?
“Glover had enough time to look up and see Lewis’s car as he was distracted for around 19 seconds – if you close your eyes and count to 19 you’ll realise its such a long period of time not to look at the road.
“Losing Laura has left a gaping whole in our family, we think about her every second of every day. The experience has been completely soul destroying.”
Laura was pronounced dead while being flown by air ambulance to hospital.
Glover told police that he could not remember what had happened before the crash but tests on three mobile phones found in his lorry revealed he was looking at the dating sites.
Mr Hugh O’Brien Quinn, prosecuting, said: “Mr Glover said that the only distraction in his car was the radio.
“But two of the three phones found showed one site had been used while moving more than 10 times, including while on the M54 and the A5.
“It was a clear day and the Vauxhall would’ve been visible for a quarter of a mile but the defendant did not see it at all and drove straight into it.”
Glover was driving the 44-tonne Mercedes lorry at between 50mph and 56 mph.
Mr Paul Rogers, defending, said Glover was ‘deeply ashamed’ that he had viewed the websites while driving.
Judge Robin Onions, sentencing, said: “You were on these sites at the point of impact.
“For many miles you were not paying proper attention.
“This was utterly avoidable.”
Laura’s family have not only set up a charity in her name but are now raising awareness for the dangers of driving while using a mobile phones.
Lisa said: “More needs to be done to ensure people don’t use phones while driving.
“It has devastating consequences on all families involved, I don’t think enough people realise the fatal consequences it can have.”
