22/09/2026
SENTENCED | A tractor driver has today (Tuesday 22 September) been sentenced to eight years for causing the death of a motorcyclist on the A40 in Herefordshire in 2022.
Philip Baker, 61, of Wonastow, Monmouth, Gwent, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday 28 July following a trial.
Today at the same court he was sentenced to eight years in prison and disqualified from driving for nine years.
Baker’s sentencing follows a fatal road traffic collision which happened at 9.50pm on 11 August 2022, whereby motorcyclist Dr Steven Lee sadly lost his life on the A40 near Ganarew, Ross on Wye.
Baker had been drawing straw from a field and was travelling from Walford in the direction of Monmouth on the A40 in the moments before the fatal collision.
However, the tractor and trailer he was driving had numerous dangerous defects, including the lack of an amber beacon which should be in place to alert other road users as to the potential hazard of its presence and slower speed.
This was identified by officers from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) as the main causal factor for the collision, as it meant Steven had no warning as he approached it on his motorbike at normal speed.
The tractor and trailer were also in a poor condition and overloaded with straw bales. The brakes on the trailer did not work and were not connected to the tractor cab. The hydraulic line between the two was poorly maintained and the lights cable was held on by baler twine.
The lack of amber warning light, verified by several eyewitnesses, resulted in the collision between Baker’s tractor and trailer and Steven’s motorcycle as Baker was travelling at a speed significantly lower than the posted speed limit.
Steven, who was 26 years old, sadly passed away at the scene.
Police Sergeant Michael Straughan, the Road Death Lead Investigator from SCIU, said: “We are pleased to get this sentence for Baker whose tractor and trailer were not only in a poor condition but crucially were also not displaying the amber hazard beacon.
“The lack of that beacon meant Steven was not properly alerted to its presence on the road, nor able to judge its speed properly which would have been less than 25mph on a road which has a maximum of 70mph for most road users. This neglect resulted in the fatal collision and the needless loss of life.
“We know that no sentence can ever make up for the loss they have suffered, but we hope today’s result will help Steven’s family and friends at what remains an incredibly difficult time, with this incredibly tragic loss of life for a bright young man who has his whole life ahead of him.
“Steven’s family and friends have since launched a foundation in his memory which aims to reduce the number of fatalities on the roads in England and Wales caused by motorcycle accidents to support new riders and enhance their road safety - https://orlo.uk/uTmnO .”
