Impatient driver killed Manchester Arena bombing hero with one 'unwise' error

Driver Jacqueline Higson, 65, killed motorcyclist Darron Coster connected a North Yorkshire road, with the unfortunate described arsenic a leader for helping radical astatine the Manchester Arena panic attack

A pistillate blindly pulled retired to overtake a cyclist and killed a erstwhile subject policeman who had been hailed arsenic a leader for helping injured victims of the Manchester Arena panic attack, a tribunal heard.

Jacqueline Higson, 65, crossed into the other carriageway erstwhile she deed motorcyclist Darron Coster and knocked him disconnected his bike, causing unsurvivable injuries.

Bradford Crown Court heard Higson performed the “unwise” manoeuvre astatine the crest of an “undulating” roadworthy successful North Yorkshire erstwhile she could not spot what was coming successful the other direction.

Ex-serviceman Mr Coster, 54, died 3 months aft giving grounds to a nationalist enquiry wherever helium described utilizing his subject constabulary grooming to assistance casualties successful the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing. He had gone to prime up his lad and his son’s friends aft the Ariana Grande performance that nighttime successful May 2017.

On Tuesday, Higson, of Chatburn, Lancashire, was fixed a suspended situation condemnation aft she pleaded blameworthy to causing Mr Coster’s decease by careless driving.

The tribunal heard the clang happened connected July 14, 2021 ,on Jack Lane – a agelong of roadworthy linking the villages of Rathmell and Wrigglesworth. Higson was driving her member and aunt to luncheon and Mr Coster was trial driving a Ducati motorcycle helium was considering buying.

Prosecutor Harry Crowson said earlier the crash, a cyclist described being overtaken by Higson, who passed dilatory and gave him plentifulness of room. He told the tribunal she performed different overtaking manoeuvre and pulled retired into the other carriageway, “unfortunately coinciding with a crest successful the road”.

Mr Crowson said: “Darron Coster had nary clip to respond oregon adjacent spot the defendant’s vehicle. A collision study details that arsenic the sole origin of the mishap – Jacqueline Higson being connected the incorrect broadside of the road. (She) pulled retired astatine a clip erstwhile she could not spot what was coming successful the other direction.”

A unfortunate interaction connection from Mr Coster’s woman Alison Coster said the mates had joined erstwhile she was 22 years aged and helium was “her full world ”. The statement, work successful court, said: “He was my backbone and without him, each time has felt similar an uphill conflict since.”

Mrs Coster said their lad Charlie, who was 24 astatine the time, present has a one-year-old lad of his ain – a grandson Mr Coster “never met and volition ne'er meet”. Mr Coster’s sister Deborah Coulson said his decease was “the nonstop effect of a prime made by Jacqueline Higson, and the prime she made took distant my brother”.

Jon Dye, defending Higson, said she was “absolutely devastated to beryllium here” but “accepts her suffering is incomparable with the suffering of the family”. Mr Dye said Higson, who sobbed successful the dock passim the hearing, “made a misjudgement” but that isolated from the “extremely unwise” manoeuvre, “everything other successful presumption of her driving that time was sensible”.

He told the tribunal Higson had been a carer for 37 years and was described successful quality references arsenic “a good, caring person”. Judge Jonathan Rose, the Recorder of Bradford, sentenced Higson to 12 months successful prison, suspended for 2 years, banned her from driving for 2 years and ordered her to transportation retired 180 hours of unpaid enactment and 20 rehabilitation enactment days.

He said: “(Mr Coster) was riding successful a cautious and liable mode – helium had nary crushed to judge helium would beryllium successful immoderate information from a conveyance connected his broadside of the road. The result was possibly inevitable and surely tragic.” Mr Coster died 3 months aft giving grounds to a nationalist enquiry into the Manchester Arena attack, with the president of the enquiry Sir John Saunders announcing the “very bittersweet news” during 1 of the hearings.

During his evidence, Mr Coster, who retired from the Royal Military Police successful 2008 aft 22 years, said helium had served tours of Northern Ireland, truthful was acquainted with the aftermath of weaponry explosions and had basal archetypal assistance training. Mr Coster made respective laps of the country to assistance people. He utilized a man’s loop and a woman’s handbag strap arsenic tourniquets to stem the bleeding of a mates who had suffered limb injuries and past helped a young antheral with superior facial and torso injuries.

After Mr Coster’s death, Sir John said: “I described him astatine the decision of his grounds arsenic a leader for what helium did connected the nighttime of May 22 2017 and I don’t deliberation that anyone could oregon would disagree with that description.” He went connected to say: “His actions connected May 22 volition unrecorded connected successful the memories of many.”