The wife of Wight Fibre’s Simon Poole, who tragically died in a road traffic collision outside the Red Funnel terminal in Southampton, has reaffirmed her call for drivers to take greater care on the roads, after the man that caused her husband’s death was today (Friday) sentenced to a 2-year suspended sentence at Southampton Crown Court.
Simon, a father of 3 and Chief Operating Officer at WightFibre, was killed in 2019 when he was hit by a BMW X5, driven by 41-year-old Deividas Balkauskas.
Simon was using a pedestrian crossing at the Red Funnel ferry terminal in Southampton at the time of the collision.
Today’s sentencing follows Mr Balkauskas from Eling Road, Totton, pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving in November 2021. Alongside a 2-year suspended sentence, he also received a 12-month ban from driving, 250 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay costs of £1,000.
Commenting on the sentencing, Simon’s wife, Louise, has said:
“The last two years have been devastating for our family and while today’s decision goes someway to help us move on with our lives, learning to live without Simon remains a daily struggle. I’m certain that, had Mr Balkauskas been driving at a safe speed, Simon would have survived, and I would still have my husband and our children their father.
“To any driver seeing this, I would say ‘please, please slow down on the roads’. Simon was my best friend, we met 28 years’ ago and built a family together, and the actions of one man have taken him away from me and my family. It doesn’t bring Simon back, but at least Mr Balkauskas will face some consequences for his actions.”
Supporting Louise and the Poole family at the hearing was Matthew Claxson, personal injury partner at law firm Moore Barlow. He added:
“This is yet another tragic example of the pain wrought by speeding and careless driving. Mr Balkauskas did not set out to kill that day, but his wanton disregard for safety is the reason Simon is no longer with us.
“The government’s recent changes to the Highway Code reinforces the importance that motorist must remain extra vigilant for pedestrians at junctions and crossings at all times. I hope that Mr Balkauskas’ sentence will serve to remind people how important it is to take care on the roads.”
12 month ban? Suspended sentence? Got off with it then, pathetic.
Unbelievable.
My heart goes out to the family.
The poor family ! To know your husband died and his children will grow up without a father – and the man got a suspended sentence !! No justice at all !! Our thoughts and love must go out to the Poole family for all the injustice that has been put upon them. I am absolutely disgusted with the sentence.
If they’d been married 28yrs at the time of the terrible tragedy, I suspect their children had already grown up – WITH a Father.
More likely to apply to the grandchildren though, and what a pointless loss of life purely for selfish reasons.
On a pedestrian crossing ?! Should be a felony imprisonable conviction.
The justice system sucks, my heart goes out to the family
Pathetic!! Once again our judiciary needs an urgent overhaul. My heart goes out to the family. Honestly if your job is a lawyer or judge hang your heads in shame!! Ffs
So sorry for the family .The sentence is terrible suspended sentence and 12 month ban for taking a life should b a minimum of 5 years
What a shameful sentence for destroying that family for the rest of their lives, even worse when you read elsewhere of the speed he was driving at in a 30 zone and his previous history. the courts need to start to use the powers they seem afraid to exercise, pathetic!
So many roads are lawless thesedays, no one Polices speed on the Island.
More needs to be done to make roads safer.