A delivery driver who was drowsy through lack of sleep when he killed an elderly moped rider has been jailed for four years.

A judge accepted James Eagles had not fallen asleep at the wheel but said he had not had enough rest to carry out the “onerous task” of driving a lorry for many hours.

The father-of-four, who has another child on the way, denied causing the death of William Stevenson, from Wrotham Heath, by dangerous driving, but was convicted.

Eagles, of Covert Mead, Handcross, Haywards, Heath, West Sussex, was also banned from driving for three years and will have to take an extended re-test before he will get his licence back.

The 74-year-old victim, who once held a motorcycle racing record and lost a leg to cancer, was in the nearside lane on the southbound carriageway of the A228 Boyle Way in East Peckham when he was struck by the bread lorry.

A witness described how the moped was “demolished” by the Warburtons lorry.

The moped, which had a top speed of just 30mph, was thrown into the air and Mr Stevenson went underneath the lorry.

He suffered multiple injuries and was flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital, but died later.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the accident happened just before midday on May 29 last year. Both the lorry and the moped were travelling in the same direction.

A work colleague with Eagles was asleep at the moment of impact.

“He could have done a number of things to avoid it and there was no reason for him not to have done any of them" - HGV instructor David Morgan

HGV instructor David Morgan, who was driving a car transporter behind the lorry, said he thought Eagles was not driving properly and gave him cause for concern.

“I heard a very loud bang and saw a cloud of dust up over the Warburtons lorry,” he said. “The truck went very violently to the right and lurched very violently and lifted.

“The moped came around the left-hand side of the Warburtons truck at about waist height and the rider of the moped came out from under the tailgate of the truck.”

Mr Morgan described Eagles as being “torn to pieces” at the scene.

“He could have done a number of things to avoid it and there was no reason for him not to have done any of them,” he added.

Judge Jeremy Carey told Eagles: “I am entirely satisfied you had not had enough sleep the night before - not enough to carry out the very onerous task of driving a lorry for many hours as you had to do, starting at 4am.”