Drug dealing driver jailed for killing cyclist

James Ashman, 29, of Lower Harlings, Shotley Gate, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison

A drug dealer who crashed into a cyclist while driving at nearly twice the speed limit has been has been jailed for 15 years.

James Ashman, 29, of Lower Harlings, Shotley Gate, struck Benjamin Wright in Vernon Street, Ipswich, just before 22:00 BST on 13 October 2022 while travelling at nearly 60mph in a 30mph zone. He then fled the scene.

Ashman was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following an earlier trial at Ipswich Crown Court. He admitted a separate charge of failing to stop after an accident.

Judge Martyn Levett sentenced Ashman to 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop. He was also jailed for one year, to run consecutively, for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

After striking Benjamin Wright, James Ashman crashed into a vehicle and then a wall

Ashman had been driving his dad’s Audi A3 on the evening of the collision before hitting Mr Wright, 35, as he was cycling across the road.

The impact propelled the cylist into the air and into the path of an oncoming vehicle before he landed in the front garden of a nearby block of flats.

Mr Wright, a dad-of-two with "an infectious smile", was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Audi crashed with a vehicle and a wall before Ashman removed himself and a bag from the wreckage.

The sentencing hearing on Thursday heard how he had fled to a friend's home.

Ashman was arrested after he was found hiding behind a shed in the garden of the property, in which about 2kg (4.4lbs) of cannabis and thousands of pounds were also discovered.

The court heard he played a “significant” role in a mobile cannabis dealing business which saw him purchase drugs – some named Rainbow Gelato - and distribute them across the county.

He had also been convicted of drug driving in 2017 as well as speeding at 105mph in a 70mph zone three years before.

Benjamin Wright has been described as "cheeky and a charmer" by his family

Mr Wright’s family told the court their lives would “never be the same again”.

His sister, Natasha Wright, described her brother as “cheeky and a charmer”.

“It feels like I have lost a limb. It’s completely destroyed me,” she told the court.

His dad, Mark Wright, said he would miss his son's "handsome face and infectious smile”.

In a statement read to the court, he added: “This has destroyed the lives of my son, and more importantly his two children.”

Mr Wright's partner, Amy Chambers, said she had lost her “soulmate" and dad of her 15-year-old twins.

“His death has caused me significant issues and I’ve been much more depressed since he was killed - I shut myself off from the world," she said.

“He was a man who had much love for those close to him and now he has been taken away from me. I will be an empty shell until the day I die and am reunited with my soulmate.”

The moment Ashman fled the scene was caught on CCTV cameras

The court heard Ashman was "devastated by his actions" and had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was suffering from nightmares and panic attacks.

Judge Levett said Mr Wright would likely still be alive today if Ashman had been driving within the speed limit.

He said: “Benjamin Wright was needlessly killed by you at a young age and the impact of his death has caused a great deal of harm."

Addressing Ashman, he said: “It was solely your fast driving which caused his death and you will forever have to live with that memory. No sentence I can pass will ever bring him back to life.”