Family of driver killed by selfie motorist want harsher sentences

The family of a scooter rider who was killed by a motorist taking a selfie of herself winking while behind the wheel have renewed their calls for harsher punishments. 

David Sinar, 64, was travelling at 40mph on his brand-new Lambretta when Amber Potter, 23, slammed into him at 70mph.

Potter was messaging her partner and sending photos of her winking and sticking her tongue when she hit the charity cyclist on the A11 dial carriageway near Roudham, Norfolk.

The winking killer spent her journey sending 22 text messages, two voice notes, two selfies, and had had a lengthy chat on Facebook messenger before crashing into the devoted father.

Potter was jailed in June for three and a half years meaning she could be released as early as October next year under Labour's early release scheme, by which time she would have served 40pc of her sentence.   

Today, Mr Sinar's grieving widow and heartbroken son called for an immediate one month driving ban for anyone caught using their mobile phone while behind the wheel.  

Joanne Sinar told Good Morning Britain hosts Richard Madeley and Susannah Reid how her 'jaw was on the floor' when she found out about Potter's excessive phone use before killing her husband. 

She said David's death was 'heartbreaking' and 'unnecessary' and that she can't understand why some drivers use  a phone while driving. 

'She [Potter] played Russian roulette throughout the whole journey,' Joanne said.   

Read More

Driver's winking selfie to boyfriend moments before she crashed into scooter driver at 70mph

Joanne has personally tried to intervene when she has spotted drivers using their phones. 

But shockingly one foul-mouthed motorist started giving her abuse even when she told him what had happened to her husband.  

Son Ben was 16 years old when his father was killed and heartbreakingly said he had lost his best friend.  

'Growing up I haven't had a mega amount of friends, and certainly not people my age who have similar interests, so to lose my dad... he was my mentor with my cycling,' he said. 

David had been determined to 'be there for his son' having himself lost his father at a young age.

An emotional Ben chillingly revealed he too had almost nearly been knocked off his bike by careless drivers.

Joanne had dropped David off at a station on the day of his death, who was travelling to Bournemouth to pick up his new motorbike. 

The last time she spoke to him was when he had stopped off at his then 95-year-old mother's house for a cup of coffee.

An hour later police turned up at Joanne's home to tell her the earth-shattering news that her husband was dead. 

Read More

Woman, 23, who killed a scooter rider, 64, is jailed for three-and-a-half years

Potter was in the process of sending a selfie picture with her tongue sticking out and winking to her boyfriend when she ploughed into Mr Sinar at around 9.25pm on September 15, 2021. 

Joanne said: 'I know she didn't set out to kill anybody but she made that choice to pick up that phone. She didn't have to pick up that phone.' 

The family described the length of Potter's jail term for causing death by dangerous driving as 'awful' and said they believed it was going to be 'a lot higher'. 

'We aren't heartless, we did have a pang as she's a young lady who is now inside, but she killed my husband,' Joanne added. 

Father-of-one David had only recently recovered from cancer and his family were hoping to spend more time with him. 

Of the 55 messages found on Ptter's phone, 20 included audio clips with background road noise that indicated she was driving at the time. 

Because the device was set to 'do not disturb' it was said the user 'went out of their way' to use it.