The partners of two cyclists killed in a crash on the A40 have questioned the suspended sentence given to the driver who struck the pair.

Clifford Rennie, 61, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment suspended for two years at Oxford Crown Court on Friday – meaning he was able to walk from court. He had earlier admitted causing the deaths of Damien Natale and Andy Coles by careless driving.

Judge Michael Gledhill QC, who also banned the company director from driving for five years, acknowledged that the fact Rennie was not being sent to prison immediately would be difficult for the victims’ loved ones to accept. 

He said: “If I could make it better for everybody concerned I would. I regret to say I can’t. I can only express my deep condolences and sympathy for each and every one of you."

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Natale's wife, Tracey, described the suspended sentence as an 'incredibly difficult pill to swallow'. 

"Mr Rennie’s actions have caused unimaginable pain and I question whether the sentence reflects that," she said.

“Learning to live without Damien has been an impossible challenge and I’m certain had Mr Rennie been driving with greater awareness that day, the outcome would be completely different. 

"Damien meant the world to us and no words come close to expressing the devastation this tragedy has brought to our family and friends. His passion for sport knew no bounds and he was the man you could always rely on - he touched the hearts of everyone he met.”

READ MORE: Oxford judge explains reasons for suspending A40 road death driver's sentence

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Helen Atherton, partner of Andy Coles, 56, said: “Both families have struggled to understand the difference in the severity of punishment between causing death by ‘careless’ driving and death by‘dangerous’ driving. I don’t believe today’s sentencing is real justice for our families and  Mr Rennie is not being made to face the true consequences of his actions. 

"Losing Andy is devastating and his family, friends and I will never recover from this.  He was loved and respected by all who met him – the impact of his loss is immeasurable. The actions of one man mean we can no longer spend the rest of our lives together.

“Damien and Andy were great friends and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds through cycling and event organisation with Allezsportives [the company they co-founded]. 

"They tirelessly organised multiple charity rides including Ride4Life, Scannappeal, Circuito Del Caffe together with countless corporate events supporting Cancer Research, Mind and Macmillan.”

The families' lawyer, Matthew Claxson of Moore Barlow, called for the sentencing guidelines for the offence of causing death by careless driving to be revisited. 

“Both families have found it hard to reconcile with the law’s distinction between the charge of ‘careless’ driving over ‘dangerous’ driving. Both result in tragic loss, yet the severity of the punishment for dangerous [driving] is significantly more than for careless," he said. 

In law, causing death by careless driving carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and a mandatory ban. Killing someone through dangerous driving has a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment.

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