Driver admits killing Chris Boardman’s mother, Carol, by careless driving leading crown to drop death by dangerous driving charge

A pick-up truck driver has admitted causing the death by careless driving of Carol Boardman, the mother of former pro rider turned cycling campaigner Chris Boardman.

Liam Rosney, aged 33, pleaded guilty to the charge today at Mold Crown Court reports Wales Online.

Mrs Boardman, aged 75, died from injuries sustained when she was run over by Rosney after falling from her bike on a mini-roundabout in Connah’s Quay, North Wales.

Rosney also faced a separate, more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving on connection with the incident, which happened in July 2016.

But Matthew Curtis, prosecuting, said that after assessing the situation together with the police, family liaison officers and other experts, the crown would not now be pursuing that charge.

Prior to Rosney entering the guilty plea today, Mr Curtis had told the court of how he had exchanged three phone calls with his wife in the lead-up to the collision.

He said: "The phone was being used on speaker mode, not requiring the defendant to handle the phone as he was talking, but plainly to accept or reject or end calls.

"The call ended prior to entry on to the roundabout, we know that from billing data.

"What we will say the case is, then, is that the defendant continued to be distracted by (a) the telephone calls which he had been taking, and (b) his mobile telephone, which was on the passenger seat inside his vehicle.

"We know he did not see Mrs Boardman and first realised he may have collided with her when his vehicle was physically riding over Mrs Boardman's body."

At Mold Crown Court in July this year, a judge directed jurors to return not guilty verdicts on Rosney and his wife Victoria in respect of separate charges of perverting the course of justice relating to the deletion of mobile phone records.

Judge Rhys Rowlands told the jury to return the not guilty verdict on those charges since in his opinion they could not fairly convict either of the accused, and set Rosney’s trial on the other charges for today’s date.

Today he informed Rosney that while his guilty plea would attract ssoe credit, it would be “nowhere near as much” as it would have been had he made it at the initial trial in July.

Rosney will be sentenced on 31 July, and the judge has not ruled out a custodial sentence with the offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.

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