A CAR driver who was eight times over the cocaine limit when he was involved in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist has been convicted by a jury of causing the rider’s death by careless driving.

David Bond, 43, of Woodview, Worrall Hill has been given conditional bail to await sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on May .

Bond had denied causing the death of veteran motorcyclist Nigel Meadows by driving without due care and attention while ‘coming down from a cocaine high’ on July 2020 on the A4136 at Brierley

The charge on which he was convicted by Gloucester Crown Court jurors on Tuesday last week (March 14) stated that at the time of his careless driving he had eight times the legal limit of Benzoylecgonine – which is produced as cocaine is absorbed into the body – in his blood.

After retiring for four hours 41 minutes to consider their verdict at Cirencester Courthouse, the jury unanimously found him guilty and he was bailed for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. Judge Moira Macmillan said a custodial sentence was likely.

After Bond’s conviction, the family of the late Mr Meadows stated “Nigel was the rock of our family, the best husband, dad, grandad and son.

“He could light up a room with his infectious cheeky smile and would do anything for anyone in need. He is still very much missed and always will be by us and everyone who loved him.”

Prosecutor Richard Posner told the jury that Bond was driving his Hyundai ix35 towards Coleford and Mr Meadows was riding in the opposite direction when the collision happened outside the entrance to Great Berry Quarry at Brierley.

“Mr Bond was trying to manoeuvre his car across the road into a lay-by,” said Mr Posner.

“The consequences for Mr Meadows were fatal.

“His motorbike collided with the front passenger side door of Mr Bond’s car. He died at the scene.

“What caused Mr Bond to move across the road as he did was an act of careless driving.

He failed to see the motorbike riding towards him and pulled in front of Mr Meadows, causing the collision.

“Witnesses at the scene after the collision heard Mr Bond say he was distracted by what he believed was someone trying to contact him on his mobile phone.

“The result of a blood sample taken from Mr Bond later that afternoon at the police station showed he had Benzoylecgonine in his blood and it was there as a result of him having consumed cocaine, probably the night before.

“There are limits by which one is permitted to drive a vehicle on the road before there are legal consequences.

A person can provide a reading of up to 50 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine before it is unlawful.

“Mr Bond’s reading was 400mcgs.

“That reading, the prosecution say, is consistent with him coming down from the ‘high’ he had experienced the night before.

“His lapse of judgement caused him to drive carelessly into the path of a motorbike rider who was using the road safely.“

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Mr Posner said police investigations revealed no defect in either vehicle. They also found that Mr Matthews was not exceeding the 60mph limit.

It was also established, said Mr Posner, that Bond would have been able to see the motorbike approaching for 3-4 seconds before the collision.

Bond’s defence was that Mr Matthews was riding ‘at a ridiculous speed’ and if he had not been going so fast the collision would not have happened, said Mr Posner.

“The cocaine Mr Bond had consumed the night before, he says, had no impact on his ability to drive,” said Mr Posner. “He also says he was not distracted by anyone trying to contact him on his phone.”

Barrister Richard Paton-Philip, defending, told the jury “Mr Bond’s case is that the standard of his driving did not depart from the standard of care expected of a careful and competent driver but rather that the motorcyclist was going too fast.

“He accepts that he did have Benzoylecgonine in his body. He accepts that it exceeded the legal limit for that drug. However, he does not accept it adversely affected the standard of his driving nor was he distracted by his mobile phone or anything else for that matter.”