Serving soldier jailed after killing 'much-loved husband, dad and grandad' in Yorkshire crash

Sophie Waugh was jailed for six years and eight months following the crash in June 2023, when she hit Ian Morris, from Bedale, while he was cycling on the A6055 Leeming Lane near Kirklington in North Yorkshire.

Waugh had left the Alanbrooke Barracks, where she was a serving soldier with the Royal Logistics Corp of the British Army, at around 2pm on the day of the crash to return home when she hit the 71-year-old Mr Morris.

He was travelling northbound on the road when he was hit by Waugh, travelling in the same direction, on the rear of his bicycle. He died instantly at the scene.

Analysis of the 31-year-old’s mobile phone found she had unlocked her phone 10 times during the journey, including sending 13 messages on Facebook and six messages on Snapchat.

Waugh, 31, of Rowantree Gardens, Redcar, was jailed at Teesside Crown Court on Friday (Feb 7) and was also banned from driving for five and a half years, which comes into effect when she leaves prison. She must also take an extended driving test.

A statement from Mr Morris’ wife, Pauline, said: “Ian Morris was my husband of nearly 50 years, a father to my two sons, a doting grandfather to our four beautiful grandchildren, and a close friend to many. His death has been a loss so great; words will not do it justice.

“Our lives have been on hold since that day, we are stuck in limbo, waiting for the truth, waiting for the line in the sand, waiting for an explanation, waiting for some understanding. We are still finding a way to live as a family without him, to manage the loss, to hold on tightly to the memories, to talk of him often, to keep him in our hearts without it breaking them.

“But it will never be over for us, the pain may dim, but our lives will never be the same again.”

His son, Tim, added: “I feel cheated for my mum the most of all, they have both worked for local government all of their lives, my dad had just completed 50 years of service at North Yorkshire County Council and was just beginning his retirement, he was in the shape of his life and had so many dreams and plans.

“They had so many plans to spend their retirements together and now he doesn’t get his retirement and my mum doesn’t get the retirement she had planned. All of their hard work and dreams ended through a reckless act, through no fault of their own.

“Finally, what hurts the most is that I never got to say goodbye to my dad, my best friend, he was just ripped away from all of us.”

Detective Constable Laura Cleary, from North Yorkshire Police, said: “Waugh claimed during police interview that she had not seen Mr Morris on his bicycle and even suggested that he must have swerved out in front of her car.

“Witnesses to the collision challenged her version of events, stating that Mr Morris was riding normally and wearing a long-sleeved fluorescent green cycling jersey and had a flashing red light on the rear of his bicycle at the time of the collision.

“They said it was Waugh’s car that had veered towards Mr Morris. Thankfully, Waugh has now admitted causing death by dangerous driving and accepts that she was driving while using a mobile phone.

“The horrific consequences of being distracted by mobile phones are plain to see in this case. This is a stark wake-up call for anyone who is tempted to use their phones while in control of a vehicle.

“Our thoughts remain with Mr Morris’ family who have been left devastated by this wholly avoidable tragedy.”