Man Jailed After Fatal Linton Crash

A delivery driver who killed a young father-to-be in a crash on the A1307 before fleeing the scene has been jailed.

A delivery driver who killed a young father-to-be in a crash near Linton before fleeing the scene has been jailed.

Ricardas Taraska, of Pinder Road, Norwich, was driving on the A1307 towards the Dean Road crossroads on 29 August this year when he hit a motorcyclist.

Cambridge Crown Court heard that he pulled out of a give way junction into the path of the motorcyclist. 

Taraska, 23, failed to stop and continued east towards Haverhill. 

The rider of the red Yamaha motorbike was Mathew Smyth, 25, who died at the scene.

His family shared their devastation that the “most amazing, cheeky, fun-loving young man” would now never get to meet his unborn child.  

At Cambridge Crown Court on 19 November, Taraska pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. 

At the same court today (3 December) Taraska was jailed for 14 months and disqualified from driving for 31 months, after which he must take an extended re-test.

Inspector Chris Huggins, of the BCH road policing unit, said: “This is a heartbreaking case in which one person’s careless driving resulted in the death of a 25-year-old man with his whole life ahead of him.

“It is vital that people drive in a safe and considerate way in order to prevent awful instances like this occurring in the future."