A flatbed van driver who caused the death of an army officer after a generator fell off the back of his vehicle has been jailed for dangerous driving.

Stephen Dudley, from Ashford, was travelling through the village of Etchingham in East Sussex on August 8, 2016 when the 66kg generator came loose from his truck.

It hit and killed 40-year-old army warrant officer Emma Beeney. Her husband Rob, who was walking with her and their dogs, was also hit and seriously injured.

Dudley, 44, of Speldhurst Close in the Stanhope area of Ashford, was charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

The fencer had been travelling to Brighton when the incident happened near a railway level crossing, and appeared at Lewes Crown Court for sentencing after he was found guilty.

The court was told that the generator was not secured, and CCTV footage at a nearby petrol station showed it leaning against the edge of the flatbed truck when he stopped for fuel before the incident.

He had denied the charges, and claimed it was often the practice to load items into the truck without restraint, because the weight of the items was usually enough to prevent them shifting or breaking away.

But the court was told it was his responsibility to safely secure the load under the Highway Code rules. A jury found him guilty of both charges by majority verdicts of 10 to two.

Judge Guy Anthony sentenced him to four years for causing death by dangerous driving and two years for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, to run concurrently. Dudley was also banned from driving for seven years.

After the trial, Sussex Police’s serious collisions investigation unit Sgt Clare Kenward said the tragedy was avoidable.

Sgt Kenward said: “Our thoughts and sympathy are very much with Emma and Rob's family at this time.

“The decision Stephen Dudley took not to secure a generator on the vehicle that he was driving had tragic consequences.

“His lack of care and disregard for the safety of others resulted in Emma's death and serious injury to her husband Rob. Just a few moments spent securing the load would have prevented this avoidable tragedy.”

In a statement, Emma Beeney’s family said: “Regardless of the verdict, the consequence of Mr Dudley’s behaviour are that Rob will spend the rest of his life with a broken heart and irreversible injuries and for all Emma’s family our sentence is ‘for life without Emma’.

“We would like to express our sadness and disappointment that in the 19 months since Emma’s tragic death, Mr Dudley has shown no remorse or taken any responsibility for his actions.

“The family wishes to thank the emergency services, Sussex Police and our legal team, the army, the residents of Etchingham and surrounding villages.”