Driver on trial for killing Chris Boardman's mother Carol was on phone seconds beforehand and deleted call log, court told

A motorist on trial for causing the death by dangerous driving of Carol Boardman, the mother of former Olympic champion turned cycle safety campaigner Chris Boardman, was on the phone just seconds before the fatal crash, a court has heard.

Mrs Boardman, aged 75, died in hospital from injuries sustained when she was hit by a pick-up truck driven by Liam Rosney, aged 32, at Connah’s Quay, North Wales in July 2016.

Mold Crown Court was told today that Rosney and his wife Victoria, also aged 32, had exchanged four telephone calls shortly before the crash, the final one terminated just four seconds before he hit Mrs Boardman, according to expert testimony.

The calls had been deleted from the logs of the respective handsets but were discovered through examination of the couples’ mobile phone records, reports the Huffington Post.

Besides the causing death by dangerous driving charge, which he denies, Rosney and his wife are both on trial for perverting the course of justice, and both have pleaded not guilty to the offence.

John Philpotts, prosecuting, told the court: "It's the prosecution case that Liam Rosney had time to see Mrs Boardman and to stop in time to avoid driving over her as he did, but he clearly did neither of those things."

He continued: "The prosecution say that this is a case which tragically illustrates the potential extreme danger of using a mobile telephone whilst driving.

"As I've told you more than once, Liam Rosney's speed leading up to the collision was perfectly reasonable.

"There's no suggestion, I repeat, that he was under the influence of drink or drugs.

"But, he was so distracted by the use of his mobile telephone that he was driving dangerously at the time when Mrs Boardman unfortunately became dismounted from her bicycle.

"The prosecution say both of these defendants well know the significance of their telephone conversations in the time leading up to the point very shortly before the collision,” he added.

"They knew it and they deleted the relevant calls from their respective handsets."

Another motorist who witnessed the crash, Kayleigh Anders, said of Rosney’s driving: "He was looking left and then down, and then left and then down. I think he was on his phone."

She also said that after the collision, Rosney had said that Mrs Boardman “came from nowhere."

The trial, which is scheduled to last a week, continues.

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