US servicewoman cleared of motorcyclist's death

A US servicewoman has been cleared of causing the death of a motorcyclist in a two-vehicle crash.

Airman first class Mikayla Hayes, 25, was driving home to Downham Market in Norfolk from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on 26 August 2022 when the collision happened on the A10 at Southery.

Father-of-one Matthew Day, 33, died later of his injuries.

Ms Hayes wiped away tears as jurors returned their unanimous verdict of not guilty after just under two hours of deliberation.

Mr Day's mother Trudi Betson said afterwards: "We completely respect the jury's decision.

"Matthew was a devoted partner and father to Chloe who is now three years old and we will do our best to support her and have as normal a childhood and life as possible without her daddy by her side."

Ms Hayes was on trial at Norwich Crown Court accused of causing death by dangerous driving.

Jurors heard the defendant was turning right out of the B1160 Lynn Road when Mr Day's Yamaha motorbike collided with her Honda Accord on the A10.

Ms Hayes said in evidence: "I still to this day have no idea why I didn't see that motorcycle."

She said traffic that Friday, at the start of the August bank holiday weekend, was "heavier than normal" and that she did not see the motorbike until it was "about a second [away], five to six feet in front of me".

Witness Graeme Pratt, a motorcyclist waiting at the junction behind Ms Hayes, said he "could see the person in the driver's seat looking both ways".

Defence expert witness Robert Wagstaff, an independent forensic collision investigator, argued that Mr Day reacted more slowly to the car pulling out than would be expected, based on research times.

Mr Day was found to have a "low concentration of THC" in his system, indicating he had taken cannabis.

Professor Alex Stedmon, an independent road safety consultant also called for the defence, said the junction "appears to be a hotspot or a blackspot for accidents".

In her defence closing speech, Christine Agnew KC said: "Sometimes it's just an accident and there's no-one to blame."

Ms Agnew said "this case is not just another US airman case" and she mentioned the death of Harry Dunn.

Motorcyclist Mr Dunn was 19 when a Volvo, driven on the wrong side of the road by US citizen Anne Sacoolas, crashed into him outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019.

Sacoolas left the UK after diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf, and she was later given a suspended jail sentence.

Ms Agnew said there was "no suggestion" Ms Hayes "tried to flee the country or escape justice".

The barrister said that, unlike the case of Sacoolas, Ms Hayes's was not a case of a foreign national driving on the wrong side of the road.

Det Ins Dave McCormack, who led the investigation, said: "We presented the best case and respect the jury’s decision."

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