Grieving widower pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ wife as killer driver is jailed

A grieving widower has paid tribute to his ‘wonderful’ wife after a man from Bristol was jailed for causing her death in a tragic hit-and-run incident. Sean Coates, 29, of Alcove Road in Fishponds, was jailed for 26 weeks after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving at Taunton Crown Court yesterday (December 19).

Coates was overtaking in his car when he hit a motorcycle which had 52-year-old Stacey Steer on as a pillion passenger on the A39 at Holford in West Somerset in May last year. He made no attempt to stop or call the emergency services and left the scene.

Following his sentencing, Stacey’s husband, Carl Street, paid tribute to the nurse from south Wales. He said: “The worst part is not that we have lost Stacey, she was part of our lives and we will always be grateful, but Stacey will never hold our grandson, and he will never get to be loved by such a wonderful person.

“For her life to be taken away so senselessly is only compounded by the complete disregard Mr Coates had for his actions, by not only fleeing the scene, but by making every effort to save himself from justice with no thought of the lives he had destroyed.

“There will never be a sentence long enough in our eyes for what he has done. Hopefully others will see the devastation caused to our family and friends as deterrent to driving carelessly, and if one life is saved, then at least some good can come of this tragedy.”

He added: “Stacey spent her life dedicated to her family and her work as an intensive care nurse, never thinking of herself, always others.”

Along with his prison sentence, Coates has been disqualified from driving for two years and 10 weeks. The court was told how when officers conducted a search for Coates’ car, they discovered he had attempted to clean the car with baby wipes.

Judge Cook said: “Your actions showed a complete desolation of the family’s life. A basic sense of compassion and empathy should have compelled you to stop at the scene.

“The aggravating factors of this case is not the manner of your driving, but your actions afterwards.”