A MOMENT’S inattention by a careful driver led to a ‘near head-on’ crash and the death of a motorcyclist, a court heard.

Ian Dudbridge, 63, had indicated a right-hand turn and stopped his car before driving across the Taunton road in Wiveliscombe into a filling station.

He then moved into the path of Charles Pendarves’ motorbike, who attempted to swerve, but could not avoid a crash and was fatally injured, Taunton Crown Court was told.

A motorist following Dudbridge’s Toyota Auris said in a statement the bike had its headlight on and was travelling at an ‘appropriate speed’ with nothing to prevent it being seen.

Judge David Evans said: “Inexplicably, and you yourself do not know why, you proceeded to turn into the garage entrance....You were not using a mobile phone or otherwise distracted. It may be you allowed your attention to be distracted for a split second by a car which was emerging from the garage. You failed to register he was there and your manoeuvre blocked the onwards-travelling motorcycle. There was a near head-on collision and he sustained significant injuries.”

He said Dudbridge, of Sand Street, Milverton, immediately admitted failing to see the motorcyclist and said he would plead guilty even before court proceedings began.

Nikki Coombe, prosecuting, said Dudbridge was interviewed twice by police and said he had not seen the bike. “He accepted he had no excuse for not having seen it,” she added.

Penny Scholes, Mr Pendarves’ partner for 37 years and mother of their daughter, said in a personal statement that their lives had been thrown into the air. He enjoyed life and was a hard worker. They had plans for the future and she had lost her life companion.

In mitigation, Harpreet Sandhu, defending, said Dudbridge was a man of impeccable character who had been driving for 44 years without any incident. He was a concerned and safe driver who was driving with ‘characteristic consideration’ and level of care. He was ‘plagued’ by the accident and would carry the burden of his guilt for the rest of his life.

Dudbridge pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving on March 30 and the judge said if he had been convicted after a trial he would have received 12 months in prison. He sentenced him to eight months, suspended for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £500 costs.

The judge added that he was not a danger to society and was ‘likely to continue to drive in the entirely safe manner in which you drove before’.