Liverpool man who killed biker sentenced for careless driving - but avoids jail

The family of a man who died when his motorbike was hit by a van have today, Thursday 29th July, paid tribute to him following the sentencing of a man for causing his death by careless driving.

Officers were called to Beech Lane/Cromptons Lane in Mossley Hill on the afternoon of 23rd April 2019 following reports of the collision between a Transit van and a Keeway RK motorbike.

Following the collision the rider of the motorbike, Reece Clarke, was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

Sadly Reece passed away in hospital two days later.

The driver of the van, John Henry, 41, of Arundel Avenue, Sefton Park, was charged with causing death by careless driving.

He was found guilty and was today sentenced to 10 month imprisonment suspended for 18 month, 150 hours unpaid work and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

In a statement released today his family said: “As a family the loss of Reece the day before his 21st birthday was devastating and came as a huge shock to us all. The family have endured a four day trial during which we had to relive every detail of the horror of that day. Reece was a kind, loving boy who was hard working and had never done anything wrong. Since we first were informed of the death of Reece, each step we have taken as a family has been about him, about his memory and about getting justice for him and about preserving the wonderful memories we all share.

“So today as we listened to the sentence given to the driver of the van who caused Reece's death, we had mixed feelings. We appreciate that no sentence would ever bring Reece back to us nor would it compensate for own loss, but would have preferred a sentence that reflected the gravity of what had happened. No mother should ever have to lose their son, or have to stand up in Crown Court and read a victim personal statement about their loss.

“Now we have to try to learn to live without Reece, to try and make some sense of what happened and to live through every anniversary mourning the loss of our wonderful boy.

“I wish to thank Merseyside Police for their investigation, for the hours of work they have devoted to Reece and for the police family liaison officers, Carl Davies and Kurt Timpson for going above and beyond their duty to support us throughout. I also wish to thank Mr Peter Hussey for prosecuting the case on behalf of the CPS.

"Sleep tight, shine bright, my baby boy". Karen O'Flaherty (Reece's Mum)

Matrix Roads policing Inspector Stuart McIver said: “This is a desperately sad case and Reece’s family have been left heartbroken by their loss. This has obviously been made more difficult for them because of the delays in this case coming to court, due to the Covid pandemic.

“Reece was just a day away from his 21st birthday when he was involved in the collision. Sadly he never recovered from his injuries.

“I would continue to urge motorists to remain alert at all times and use their mirrors to check for other road users, particularly motorcyclists and cyclists, before performing any manoeuvres.

“No sentence will ever bring Reece back but hopefully the conclusion of this court case will give the family some sort of closure and allow them to finally move on with their lives.”