A MOTORIST has been jailed for 16 months after he admitted causing the death of an Alton grandfather.

Tiberiu Miclea, 42, of Cornwall Road, Bordon, pleaded guilty at Winchester Crown Court on July 12 to causing the death of Raymond Malyon by careless driving.

The court heard how the collision had taken place at around 7.30pm on February 12 on the A339 at Lasham when a blue Honda Civic, driven by Miclea, was in collision with Mr Malyon’s silver Toyota Corrolla.

As Mr Malyon negotiated a bend in the road he was confronted by the Honda which was travelling toward him in the opposite direction, towards Alton, but on the wrong side of the road, resulting in a head-on collision.

Mr Malyon, 71, who was travelling towards his home in Bradley, was taken to hospital but died from his injuries on February 15. His wife, who was travelling with him, suffered serious injuries.

Miclea was also taken to hospital with serious injuries.

At the hearing, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was disqualified from driving for two years and eight months.

Of the incident, Sergeant Adrienne Jerram said: “This was a tragic loss of life which could have easily been avoided if Miclea had been taking more care on the road. Due to his carelessness, a family has been left devastated by the unnecessary loss of a loved one.

“Motorists must pay full attention on the road at all times because this collision is clear evidence of how catastrophic the consequences can be.

“It is not worth the risk and we will take action against those who risk the lives of others by being careless on the roads of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

Speaking after the sentencing, a spokesman for Mr Malyon’s family added: “It is with much sadness we heard about this sentence. It has brought everything back afresh and our pain continues.

“We are still very much in shock and reeling from the impact of this dreadful and awful experience, the result of which has taken away a dearly loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, colleague and friend.

“This still all feels very unreal, like a nightmare we haven’t yet woken from. Dad should be enjoying his life with his family. He and mum should be planning their next holiday, along with the annual family summer party and a special birthday.

“He should be here helping look after his grandchildren and watching them grow.

“We all should be having many more occasions filled with love and laughter and instead there is just a big gap in our lives, which hurts all the time.

“The sentencing doesn’t bring dad back and it doesn’t result in any less pain for us all. The other driver has to live the rest of his life with the consequences of his actions, as do we.

“We hope in some way that other road users will think about this incident so that they may avoid a similar tragedy occurring in their lives.”

“We thank Hampshire Constabulary for their care and support throughout this time, and their professionalism in handling this case,” the spokesman added.