A MAN has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after a "well-loved" Weybridge black cab driver was killed in an A3 smash.
The wife of 61-year-old Preston Trueick burst into tears as a jury at Kingston Crown Court returned a unanimous verdict on Wednesday in finding Deane Girdler guilty of the charge.
Girdler, who lived in Cobham at the time of the crash, stood trial following the collision on January 19 last year on the stretch of the A3 near the junction with Copsem Lane in Esher.
Simon Connolly, prosecuting, said: “Girdler was driving his silver Audi estate along the A3 from the London direction towards his home in Cobham.
“The defendant’s car, driving along that 50mph section, was being driven so badly [that] it was noticed and identified by a number of other road users."
The court heard that Girdler's car then collided with Mr Trueick's black cab, which he was driving in the slow lane.
"Face justice"
Mr Trueick’s wife, Mary, who was present in court throughout the entire duration of the two-and-a-half week trial, said: “I’m just so pleased with the result.
“I know sentencing is going to take a while but it was never about the sentence because no sentence will abate the loss.
“It was always just that I wanted him [Girdler] to accept responsibility.
“We just want him to face justice.”
Mrs Trueick also claimed the unlit section of the A3 probably played a large part in the collision that caused her husband’s death.
She said: “That bit of the A3 is very dangerous as it’s unlit.
“People who know that road use it like boy racers.
“My husband – he was always worried about that section of the A3. He would avoid it on his way home.
“But I suppose that night his work took him that way.”
The widow added: “We are one of the richest counties in the UK and they [the county council] won’t spend enough money on the roads. It makes me very angry.”
"Family ruined"
Mrs Trueick also told the Surrey Advertiser that her husband was well-loved and part of an incredibly close-knit family.
She added that 35 black cabs turned up to pay their respects at his funeral.
Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Mr Connolly suggested Girdler was under the influence of alcohol but that the defendant refused to give a specimen for the police when he was arrested.
The court heard that Girdler was examined at around 5.30am by a doctor who said his ability to drive was impaired at that time.
Mr Connolly said: “He doesn’t accept he was driving badly.
"When asked to explain what happened, he described how he went into the inside lane and everything else was a blur.”
However, defence barrister Charles Royle claimed Girdler had not been drunk but was, instead, in a state of shock.
Mr Trueick’s daughter, Lucy, said: “Mr Girdler’s behaviour on that night was absolutely reckless and I truly believe that he could have potentially killed many more people.
“Whilst we are pleased that Mr Girdler has been found guilty, the fact remains that it will never bring my dad back and that our family unit has been ruined.
“If Girdler had simply taken the train home that night none of this would have ever happened.”
Girdler has been remanded in police custody until he is sentenced at a later date.