Jury urges action over junction after finding driver guilty of causing cyclist's death

A jury in Southampton has taken the unusual step of calling for action over an "exceptionally dangerous" junction after finding a driver guilty of causing the death of a cyclist by careless driving.

The Southern Daily Echo's John Hoskins reports that Sophie Whitmarsh was found guilty of causing death by careless driving when she hit William Logan on April 28, 2014.

The 70-year-old cyclist was riding down Kitnocks Hill on the A334 at about 25mph when Whitmarsh pulled out of Reading Room Lane intending to go across the road into Outlands Lane and hit him, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Whitmarsh, 25 said she did not see Mr Logan, who was wearing a high-vis jacket and a helmet before she hit him.

William Logan's view of the junction as he approached down the A334

She was three-quarters of the way across the junction when the collision occured. She told the jury that she had not seen Mr Logan until "I heard a scream and looked out my right window.

Sophie Whitmarsh's view of the junction from Reading Room Lane

“I wish I had seen him because then we wouldn’t be here now.

“I looked absolutely everywhere I could. I couldn’t have done more. I’m very careful, very competent.”

Mr Logan had “merged entirely with the background,” she said.

The jury took three hours and twenty minutes to find Whitmarsh guilty and in an unusual step for a trial jury wrote to the judge calling the junction "exceptionally dangerous" and demanding Hampshire County Council "ignore this fact no longer".

The note said: "We as a jury consider the road A334 at the junction of Reading Room Lane and Outlands Lane to be exceptionally dangerous.

"This is shown by the number of accidents at this junction in the past five years. People's lives are being put at risk on a daily basis.

"There is a need for the relevant authorities to ignore this fact no longer."

Judge Peter Ralls QC said he utterly endorsed the jury's comments.

He said he recognised there were a lot of mitigating factors and he was satisfied the case did not warrant a prison sentence but Whitmarsh would be disqualified and have to pay costs, whole or in part.

Judge Ralls described the accident as "a momentary lapse" on Whitmarsh's part, the consequences of which were appalling, and she would have to live with it.

"I would not be surprised if it kept her awake at night."