A Plymouth man has been jailed for six years for causing the death of a motorcyclist whilst driving under the influence of a controlled drug.

Stephen Saint, 64, from Berkshire Drive in Plymouth, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for sentence on Friday 20 December after previously pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the specified limit.

Saint was also disqualified from driving for 13 years and must take an extended retest to regain his licence.

The court heard how at around 5.30am on 25 August 2022 police were notified about a collision on Kings Road, Plymouth, at the junction with Rectory Road.

Saint, who was alone in a minibus after dropping off family members following a Bristol Airport run, was heading home when he crossed the stop lines and collided with a Honda motorcycle ridden by Ross Brown who was on his way to work.

A forensic collision report identified that Saint had cut the corner and advanced three meters into the carriageway occupied by Mr Brown when the collision took place.

Tragically, Mr Brown died as a result of his injuries sustained during the collision.

Saint produced a positive drug swipe with subsequent examination showing he had an extremely high level of the breakdown product for cocaine in his blood.

It was also revealed that Saint, a diabetic, had failed to monitor his blood sugar level as required prior to driving.

At the time of the fatal collision Saint held a licence that showed two disqualifications for driving or attempting to drive with a drug level above the specified limit since 2019. He had only received his licence back three months prior to the incident.

Since the collision that resulted in the death of Mr Brown, Saint has been caught on a further two occasions for similar offending.

Officers in the case, Alan Kennedy from the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “We are aware that no sentence will bring back Mr Brown - who was a hard-working man dearly loved by his family and friends - but we hope that it will give his loved ones some closure.

“Stephen Saint’s record both before and since the fatal collision shows that he shows no regard for other road users and is very much a danger to society.

“He continued to commit driving offences even after knowing that his actions had taken the life of an innocent road user.”