Jail for drink-drive death biker

Cheshire admitted the charge at Glasgow's High Court

A biker who caused the death of his pillion passenger after drinking 12 pints has been jailed for five years.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that James Cheshire, 40, had taken Tracey Smith, 32, out for a drink to thank her for doing him a favour.

But she died from a broken neck after being thrown 50ft when his 600cc Suzuki crashed on the wrong side of the road in Port Glasgow.

Sentencing Cheshire, Lord Wheatley described the case as "truly tragic".

He added: "It is particularly tragic because you went out for an evening to thank Tracey for looking after your house while you were on holiday.

"I am in no doubt that you have expressed very genuine remorse and horror, but I have to take a serious view of what happened because a human life was lost by your criminal irresponsibility."

Miss Smith's family sat in the back of the court as Lord Wheatley told Cheshire that no sentence could accurately reflect the loss felt by them.

'Good friend'

Cheshire, a landscape gardener from Port Glasgow, admitted a charge of death by dangerous driving on 11 August last year in the town's Glasgow Road when he first appeared in court last month.

The court heard then that a witness saw Cheshire driving on the wrong side of a dual carriageway going "very fast".

The bike slewed off the road at an estimated speed of 45mph, hit a sandstone block lying on a footpath, and smashed into a wall.

The court was also told that the pair had spent nearly six hours drinking in a local bar before driving away.

Defence counsel Mark Moir told Lord Wheatley on Monday that Miss Smith had been a very good friend.

He added that Cheshire was filled with remorse and shame for what happened and would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

Lord Wheatley also banned Cheshire from driving for seven years.