Serial drink driver jailed for killing two bikers in Cornwall
Devon and Cornwall PoliceA serial drink driver has been jailed for more than seven years for killing two bikers in Cornwall.
Glyn Thomas, 58, was almost three times the drink-drive limit when he crashed into Paul Parker, 63, and his pillion passenger Pamela Osborne, 69.
Thomas, from Camelford, admitted two charges of causing death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit.
He was jailed for seven years and eight months at Truro Crown Court.
Thomas was also banned from driving for six years and nine months.
Both Mr Parker and Ms Osborne died at the scene. The court heard they had no time to brake or swerve.
Judge Anna Richardson rejected this being a case of "momentary inattention" and said Thomas had an "appalling failure to address" his previous sentences for drink driving and the risk he posed.
Devon and Cornwall PoliceThe crash happened on the A39 at Collamoor Head near Camelford, Cornwall, on Easter Bank Holiday Monday at 11:00 BST.
Truro Crown Court heard how Thomas had five convictions for drink-driving over a 15-year period starting in 1997.
In 2008, he was jailed for four months and banned from driving by magistrates in Somerset.
Family members read personal victim statements to the judge saying the incident had left them with "pain and anger at the driver". They also called Thomas "irresponsible".
Devon and Cornwall PoliceMs Osborne, a great grandmother, had been treated for cancer three times and had been given the all clear.
Mr Parker, a grandfather and former RAF serviceman, was due to retire from his job as a mechanic to follow a passion of motorcycle riding around Europe.
Prosecutor Jason Beal told the court Thomas would have had "between seven and nine seconds" to see the Triumph Tiger bike before he made the turn.
Defence barrister Ramsay Quaife said Thomas was a "secret drinker not a social drinker" and battled alcohol addiction all his life.
The judge praised the dignity of the victims' families in court calling it an "absolutely hellish experience".
