Woman given suspended sentence for causing death of motorcyclist

Lucy Bentley, 35, was sentenced following pleading guilty to a charge of causing death by careless driving following a two-vehicle collision on the A6121 at Witham on the Hill just after midday on Sunday 9 March 2025.  

Bentley was travelling east from Witham on the Hill on Elm Avenue towards its junction with the A6121.  Meanwhile, Gary Skellett, 61, was riding his Suzuki GSF Bandit motorcycle south on the A6121 towards Carlby and approaching the same crossroads.   A third vehicle was stationary on the main road facing towards Toft waiting to turn right towards Manthorpe and had seen two motorcycles approaching.

Bentley on having reached the junction, stopped at the give way line before pulling out into the path of Mr Skellett, having failed to see him approaching. He was riding the second of the two motorcycles that the witness had seen, albeit they were travelling independently of each other.  Sadly, Mr Skellett, an experienced rider, died at the scene.

Bentley, of Begy Gardens, Greetham, was today sentenced at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court to 8 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, having admitted causing death by careless driving. She must also undertake 20 days of community rehabilitation activities and was banned from driving for a total of 2 years and must take an extended re-test before being allowed to drive again.

Following an extensive investigation by our Serious and Forensic Collision Investigation Units Bentley was charged with the one offence that she was sentenced for at court today.  Technical examinations of the vehicles found no issues that were contributory in the collision. 

It was established during the investigation that Bentley had stopped at the junction and set off two seconds before the collision occurred.  Witnesses described the motorcycle as travelling within the speed limit and consequently would have been visible to Bentley as she moved off. Unfortunately, when Bentley emerged from the junction, Mr Skellett was unable to take any avoiding action and a collision was inevitable.

In interview, Bentley confirmed that she knew the road, wasn’t in a hurry and was heading towards Manthorpe.  She stated that when she got to the junction, traffic was passing, and there was a vehicle from the Stamford direction that was waiting on the main road to turn right to Manthorpe village.  She stated that she looked both ways, thinking that the vehicle waiting to turn was allowing her to go first and that she did not see the motorbike approaching.

Detective Sergeant Kate Johnston, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This collision occurred when Bentley failed to look properly as she emerged at a junction into the path of an oncoming motorbike.  In short, as evidenced by other witnesses, Mr Skellett was there to be seen, was riding normally and had no opportunity to avoid the collision which occurred.

“Regrettably, we see this situation repeatedly where motorbikes are just not seen.  We would therefore remind everyone to THINK BIKE.  Just ensuring you look properly when emerging at junctions or making any manoeuvre, will help prevent future tragedies such as this one.”