The head of a City accountancy firm told witnesses he was late for his children's nanny moments after his car struck and killed a cyclist on a narrow country lane, a court has heard.
The Fatal Collision on a Suffolk Lane
Thomas Gibbs, 42, was allegedly listening to music on earphones when his Volkswagen Passat hit 47-year-old Ben Jacobs on 17 May 2023. Mr Jacobs, a kitchen painter and French polisher from Rushmere St Andrew near Ipswich, was on a 30-mile ride with three friends in Bentley, Suffolk.
The court was told the group of four were travelling in a 'one-behind-the-other' formation at about 22mph on a single-track lane in 'perfect' conditions. Prosecutor Charles Myatt said Gibbs's car first struck cyclist David Solomon, breaking his nose and cutting his face, before the 'full impact strike' on Mr Jacobs.
Cyclist Jason Taylor described seeing Mr Jacobs being 'struck up into the air'. He landed on a verge, suffering a significant brain injury. He was airlifted to hospital but died the following day.
Conflicting Accounts Given to Police and Witnesses
Darren Cook, the lead cyclist, told Ipswich Crown Court that after the collision, Gibbs was upset, put his face in his hands, and admitted to the group and police that he was late getting home where a nanny was looking after his children.
However, the jury heard that Gibbs, co-founder and principal of Shoreditch-based Prosperia Ltd, changed his story a month later. In a police interview, he claimed he was due at his £2.25 million home in the upmarket village at 7pm and was on time when the accident occurred.
He later stated: 'I can only put these comments down to me being in a state of shock and, by the time I made that comment, I was late to pick up my children.' His nanny, Susan McFadyen, said in a statement their arrangement was 'fluid' and his lateness would not have been a problem.
Trial Continues as Family Pays Tribute
Gibbs, a University of Bristol civil engineering graduate with a clean driving licence, denies causing death by careless driving. The prosecution argues that whatever speed he was driving—claimed to be 20-30mph—it was 'simply too fast' for the narrow lane with overgrown grass verges, mud, and debris.
After the tragedy, Mr Jacobs's wife Faye, whom he had been with since they were 15, paid a moving tribute to her 'brilliant husband', a superfit athlete who competed in ultra-marathons, triathlons, and long-distance cycling events. She said: 'Ben loved being a dad, was always supportive, and took his responsibilities very seriously. I will be forever lost without him.'
The trial continues.
