Judge clears broker boss in motorcycle death collision trial

Broker boss Sean McClarron has been found not guilty of causing the death of a motorcyclist in North Yorkshire last August.

The York Crown Court judge threw out the case, saying there was not enough reliable evidence against the broking chief. 

Sean Charles McClarron, owner of McClarrons, was driving his Range Rover on the A171 near Cloughton, outside Scarborough, on 15 August last year when the crash happened.

As a result of the collision, Green was thrown from his bike and suffered serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

McClarron was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.

But he denied the allegation and appeared for trial at York Crown Court this week.

On Monday, prosecuting barrister Bashir Ahmed told the jury that Green, his brother Adam and friend James Pickard were out on a ride when the tragedy occurred at about 8.20pm on August 15 last year.

Green was at the head of the line of motorbikes riding in convoy. As they approached the junction, Green - who is thought to have been travelling at about 70mph when the accident occurred - overtook the Range Rover as McClarron turned right, the court heard. 

The case hinged on whether or not McClarron had indicated before starting the right manoeuvre or had checked his mirrors properly for traffic coming up the back of his car.

North Yorkshire Police collision investigator Stephen Kirkbright, told the court Stuart’s Green’s bike was travelling at a minimum speed of 51mph after it collided with the Range Rover, but it had lost at least 20mph during the collision, meaning it had been going at least 71mph at the time of the crash, but could have been going faster, the Gazette and Herald reports.

Kirkbright also told the court the indicator on the driver’s side of McClarron’s Range Rover had been lit at the time of impact, but it was not possible to say how long he had been indicating before the crash.

Today, the defence made a motion to the court asking for the charges to be withdrawn due to the lack of reliable evidence against McClarron.

The judge agreed that there was not enough evidence to prove that McClarron had neither looked in his mirrors nor indicated before the collision.

He ordered the jury to return a not guilty verdict on the charge of causing death by careless driving, Scarborough News reports.