A MOTORIST has been given a community order after being convicted of causing the death of a motorcyclist.

Jonathan Bridger was yesterday found guilty by jurors at Oxford Crown Court of causing the death of 59-year-old Christopher Mason, of Mulberry Close, Bicester, by careless driving.

The 20-year-old defendant lost control of his Toyota Yaris in wet conditions on the B4100, north of Bicester, on May 30, and collided with the biker.

Bridger was sentenced immediately after the unanimous verdict, which was delivered after three hours and 11 minutes of deliberations.

Judge Gordon Risius handed Bridger a 12-month community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work.

He said: “No sentence I can possibly pass will restore Mr Mason’s life or fill the gap in his family’s lives left by his absence, nor can the value of his life be measured by any sentence I can pass.”

He added: “Your carelessness on that day was plainly entirely out of character, your remorse was evident from the very outset and has continued ever since.

“I remind myself that this has never been a case of dangerous driving but rather of careless driving.

“The prosecution case was you were driving a bit too fast for the conditions and that must have been the jury’s view.”

Bridger, of Shortlands Close, Helmdon, Northamptonshire, was also banned from driving for a year and must retake his test before regaining his licence.