Welling motorcyclist pleads guilty to killing mother whose sons saw her thrown 15m in Southwark collision

A motorcyclist who knocked down and killed a mum in front of her two sons has pleaded guilty to death by dangerous driving.

Jack Headley Gough, 28, from Welling, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 31 March and has been sent to prison for 32 months.

He was sentenced on Friday, 29 May at the same court.

Police were called at 6.55pm on 23 July 2018 to reports of a motorcycle in collision with a pedestrian on Great Dover Street, Southwark.

Police officers, London’s Air Ambulance and paramedics all tried to save, Muriel Sanna, a French national, but she was pronounced dead at the scene – a post-mortem examination revealed Muriel’s cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries.

Muriel and her family were on holiday from France and her two sons were with her when she tragically died.

Her body was thrown some 15 metres from the impact of the collision, a sight her sons will never forget.

Gough, who was riding a silver Suzuki, stopped at the scene and was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries and has since made a full recovery.

Detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command carried out an investigation into the incident. Several witnesses reported that Gough was riding at excessive speed along the 30mph speed limit when he struck Muriel.

Detective Constable Tom Matthews, who investigated the incident, said: “Today my thoughts are with Muriel and her family who must live the rest of their lives without her.

“I am thankful that the rider pleaded guilty and saved the family the ordeal of a trial.

“Great Dover Street is in a built-up area of London. The speed limit is there for a reason and ignoring it could result in serious injuries and fatalities, which cause devastation for everyone involved like in this case. If Gough was adhering to the speed limit then the collision would not have happened.

“During sentencing the Judge said that Gough’s speed was ‘shockingly irresponsible’.

“All road users have a responsibility to drive to the conditions around them for their safety and the safety of others.”

* The Metropolitan Police Service and TfL lead on Vision Zero, the capital’s campaign to eradicate deaths and serious injuries from London’s roads by 2041. The Met’s Road and Transport Policing Command focus on the ‘Fatal 4’: the four greatest dangers whilst driving: inappropriate speed, using a mobile phone whilst driving, not wearing a seatbelt and driving whilst under the influence of drink/drugs.