![EAST ANGLIA NEWS SERVICE, tel 07767 413379 Time trial cyclist Cheryl Tye, 54, who died when she was hit by a van driven by Shayne Hill, 32, when he was distracted by barbecue pictures on his mobile phone. He was cleared by a jury at Norwich Crown Court of causing her death by dangerous driving, but admitted causing her death by careless driving and has now been given a suspended jail sentence. EAST ANGLIA NEWS SERVICE, tel. 07767 413379 With pics A van driver who killed a cyclist when he ploughed into her at 60mph after he was distracted by his sister sending pictures of a family barbecue to his mobile phone has been spared an immediate jail sentence. Shayne Hill, 32, was said to have been ?engaged with his phone? for ten seconds before he smashed into Cheryl Tye, 54, without having seen her, causing her bike and helmet to shatter into pieces Norwich Crown Court heard how Mrs Hill, a keen triathlete who had been taking part in an organised time trial event with her husband, hit the windscreen of Hill?s blue Citroen Dispatch van, before being thrown into the air. Other motorists stopped and tried to revive her with CPR, but she died at the scene from multiple injuries at 9.35am on June 26, 2022, on the A11 dual carriageway at Roudham, near Thetford, Norfolk. A previous trial heard how Hill?s sister had sent him around 25 pictures ?in ones and twos over a few minutes? on WhatsApp showing a family barbecue the previous day just before the impact. Hill told police he was using his phone in a holder as a satellite navigation device and could see the message notifications flashing up, but they were partially obscuring his screen so he had to clear them by touching the screen so he could see his phone clearly. He denied causing death by dangerous driving and was cleared after a three day trial in July as his family sobbed in the gallery, but he admitted a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving Judge Anthony Bate gave him a 12 month prison sentence , suspended for 18 months, banned him from driving for a year and ordered him to do up to do 30 hours unpaid work with a 15 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR). The judge said that Hill's ?inattention on the road ahead? had caused the fatal crash, but gave him credit for his guilty plea. He described Mrs Tye?s death as a ?very sad case indeed" and happened after events took a "very tragic turn" when Hill ?failed to see? her on her bike and crashed into her. Judge Bate said Mrs Tye, a former manager of Hadleigh Town Council in Suffolk, was a ?loving daughter, sister and friend to so many?, and said her death had a devastating impact on her husband and wider family. Nicholas Bleaney, prosecuting, said Hill of North Walsham Road, Norwich, had been engaged in ?a flurry of telephone activity in the immediate lead up and aftermath of the collision?. Mr Tye's husband Christopher described the "devastating" consequences of her death in a statement which was read to the court. He said that he had ?come to the numbing realisation that having set off together in this race he's now on his own?, and told how he was now ?no longer able to take part in such races?. Michael Clare, defending Hill, said Hill had been ?looking down at his drinks bottle or wiping messages from his [phone] screen? when the crash happened. He described it as ?more than a momentary distraction? behind the wheel and said it had been a ?brief but avoidable distraction?. Mr Clare said Hill had ?no memory of what happened?, but had co-operated with police and was remorseful. Ms Tye, a member of Plomesgate Cycling Club, was taking part in a 50-mile trial event organised by the Breckland Cycling Club, which involved riding on a section of the A11 between Snetterton and Thetford, Norfolk She was wearing a white and yellow top with flashing lights on her front and back when the crash happened on a straight section of the road with good visibility, in fine weather conditions. Following her death, cycling time trials were suspended on the dual carriageway pending a review into safety measures. Hill?s earlier trial heard how phone expert Gemma Wilson had calculated from the recorded signal on his 1Phone 12 that he had been driving within the speed limit at around 60mph. She estimated that the collision happened at 9.35am and 45 seconds when his van suddenly ?started to slow down dramatically?. Prosecutor Mr Bleaney told the jury: ?For approximately ten seconds prior to the slowing down, the defendant was engaged with his phone and doing that speed. He would have travelled over 300 yards. ?You will probably appreciate that if you are not looking at what is going on for ten seconds and covering 300 yards, that is not a momentary lack of attention. It is a long period of time for a driver to not be focussing. ?It is not in dispute that Mr Hill was driving and was responsible for her death. He accepts he is guilty of causing death by careless driving. ?The Crown?s case is that if you are not paying attention for ten seconds covering 300 yards and hit someone in the back, it?s not careless driving, it?s dangerous because it falls far below the standards of a careful motorist.? Hill was tested at the scene for alcohol and drugs, but was found to ?be clean in relation to both?. Mr Bleaney added: ?For whatever reason for a considerable period of time, he cannot have been paying attention because otherwise he would have just moved around her.? British Army employee Stuart Osbourne who was driving home said he had moved into the fast lane to avoid Mrs Tye, and believed the driver of a blue van ahead of him had plenty of time to do the same. He added in a statement: ?The blue vehicle was making no attempt to move out. I could see it getting closer and closer to the cyclist and still not making any attempt to move out. ?As I passed the van, I heard a crunch. I looked in my rear view mirror and could see the cyclist on the floor. I could clearly see the cyclist from a good distance. I cannot think why the driver of the other vehicle did not see her.? Mr Osbourne said he immediately stopped, and told the van driver who had jumped out: ?What the f*** do you think you are doing??, and he replied: ?I didn?t see her?.? He found Ms Tye lying on her side, not breathing and bleeding from her arm, and gave her CPR with the help of another woman for around 20 minutes. Another driver Charlotte Spinks who was with her parents and ten-year-old daughter in a Range Rover Evoque described overtaking cyclists before seeing the blue van failing to move over for another cyclist ahead. Her mother Mrs Margaret Spinks who ran to help Ms Tye said she and other cyclists had been riding ?well to the left? of the left hand lane. Mrs Spinks said that a man standing next to her while on the phone, said: ?I am trying to ring my boss. I was looking for my drink. I didn?t even see her. What will I get?? She added: ?I was shocked at what he said and I moved away.? Hill was seriously injured when he crashed his car into a tree in 2013 in Dennington, Suffolk. He suffered broken ribs, two punctured lungs, internal bleeding and a head injury putting pressure on his brain, but recovered after spending a moth in an induced coma at Addenbrooke?s Hospital, Cambridge. Former Hadleigh mayor Frank Minns paid tribute to Mrs Tye after her death, saying she said she achieved some "really good" things during her 15 months as town council manager.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SEI_268760758-2f97.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=620)
A van driver who killed a cyclist while distracted by WhatsApp has been spared jail.
Shayne Hill, 32, was said to have been ‘engaged with his phone’ for 10 seconds before he smashed into Cheryl Tye, 54, without having seen her, causing her bike and helmet to shatter into pieces.
Mrs Hill, a keen triathlete who had been taking part in an organised time trial event with her husband, hit the windscreen of Hill’s blue Citroen Dispatch van, before being thrown into the air.
Other motorists stopped and tried to revive her with CPR, but she died at the scene from multiple injuries at 9.35am on June 26, 2022, on the A11 dual carriageway at Roudham, near Thetford, Norfolk.
A previous trial heard how Hill’s sister had sent him around 25 pictures ‘in ones and twos over a few minutes’ on WhatsApp showing a family barbecue the previous day just before the impact.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Hill told police he was using his phone in a holder as a satellite navigation device and could see the message notifications flashing up, but they were partially obscuring his screen so he had to clear them by touching the screen so he could see his phone clearly.
He denied causing death by dangerous driving and was cleared after a three-day trial in July as his family sobbed in the gallery, but he admitted a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.
Judge Anthony Bate gave him a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, banned him from driving for a year and ordered him to do up to do 30 hours unpaid work with a 15 days’ Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR).
The judge said that Hill’s ‘inattention on the road ahead’ had caused the fatal crash but gave him credit for his guilty plea.
He described Mrs Tye’s death as a ‘very sad case indeed’, saying it happened after events took a ‘very tragic turn’ when Hill ‘failed to see’ her on her bike and crashed into her.
![EAST ANGLIA NEWS SERVICE, tel 07767 413379 Shayne Hill, 32, pictured outside Norwich Crown Court during his trial for causing death by dangerous driving after he killed time trial cyclist Cheryl Tye, 54, while distracted by barbecue pictures on his mobile phone. He was cleared by a jury, but admitted causing death by careless driving and has now been given a suspended jail sentence EAST ANGLIA NEWS SERVICE, tel. 07767 413379 With pics A van driver who killed a cyclist when he ploughed into her at 60mph after he was distracted by his sister sending pictures of a family barbecue to his mobile phone has been spared an immediate jail sentence. Shayne Hill, 32, was said to have been ???engaged with his phone??? for ten seconds before he smashed into Cheryl Tye, 54, without having seen her, causing her bike and helmet to shatter into pieces Norwich Crown Court heard how Mrs Hill, a keen triathlete who had been taking part in an organised time trial event with her husband, hit the windscreen of Hill???s blue Citroen Dispatch van, before being thrown into the air. Other motorists stopped and tried to revive her with CPR, but she died at the scene from multiple injuries at 9.35am on June 26, 2022, on the A11 dual carriageway at Roudham, near Thetford, Norfolk. A previous trial heard how Hill???s sister had sent him around 25 pictures ???in ones and twos over a few minutes??? on WhatsApp showing a family barbecue the previous day just before the impact. Hill told police he was using his phone in a holder as a satellite navigation device and could see the message notifications flashing up, but they were partially obscuring his screen so he had to clear them by touching the screen so he could see his phone clearly. He denied causing death by dangerous driving and was cleared after a three day trial in July as his family sobbed in the gallery, but he admitted a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving Judge Anthony Bate gave him a 12 month prison sentence , suspended for 18 months, banned him from driving for a year and ordered him to do up to do 30 hours unpaid work with a 15 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR). The judge said that Hill's ???inattention on the road ahead??? had caused the fatal crash, but gave him credit for his guilty plea. He described Mrs Tye???s death as a ???very sad case indeed" and happened after events took a "very tragic turn" when Hill ???failed to see??? her on her bike and crashed into her. Judge Bate said Mrs Tye, a former manager of Hadleigh Town Council in Suffolk, was a ???loving daughter, sister and friend to so many???, and said her death had a devastating impact on her husband and wider family. Nicholas Bleaney, prosecuting, said Hill of North Walsham Road, Norwich, had been engaged in ???a flurry of telephone activity in the immediate lead up and aftermath of the collision???. Mr Tye's husband Christopher described the "devastating" consequences of her death in a statement which was read to the court. He said that he had ???come to the numbing realisation that having set off together in this race he's now on his own???, and told how he was now ???no longer able to take part in such races???. Michael Clare, defending Hill, said Hill had been ???looking down at his drinks bottle or wiping messages from his [phone] screen??? when the crash happened. He described it as ???more than a momentary distraction??? behind the wheel and said it had been a ???brief but avoidable distraction???. Mr Clare said Hill had ???no memory of what happened???, but had co-operated with police and was remorseful. Ms Tye, a member of Plomesgate Cycling Club, was taking part in a 50-mile trial event organised by the Breckland Cycling Club, which involved riding on a section of the A11 between Snetterton and Thetford, Norfolk She was wearing a white and yellow top with flashing lights on her front and back when the crash happened on a straight section of the road with good visibility, in fine weather conditions. Following her death, cycling time trials were suspended on the dual carriageway pending a review into safety measures. Hill???s earlier trial heard how phone expert Gemma Wilson had calculated from the recorded signal on his 1Phone 12 that he had been driving within the speed limit at around 60mph. She estimated that the collision happened at 9.35am and 45 seconds when his van suddenly ???started to slow down dramatically???. Prosecutor Mr Bleaney told the jury: ???For approximately ten seconds prior to the slowing down, the defendant was engaged with his phone and doing that speed. He would have travelled over 300 yards. ???You will probably appreciate that if you are not looking at what is going on for ten seconds and covering 300 yards, that is not a momentary lack of attention. It is a long period of time for a driver to not be focussing. ???It is not in dispute that Mr Hill was driving and was responsible for her death. He accepts he is guilty of causing death by careless driving. ???The Crown???s case is that if you are not paying attention for ten seconds covering 300 yards and hit someone in the back, it???s not careless driving, it???s dangerous because it falls far below the standards of a careful motorist.??? Hill was tested at the scene for alcohol and drugs, but was found to ???be clean in relation to both???. Mr Bleaney added: ???For whatever reason for a considerable period of time, he cannot have been paying attention because otherwise he would have just moved around her.??? British Army employee Stuart Osbourne who was driving home said he had moved into the fast lane to avoid Mrs Tye, and believed the driver of a blue van ahead of him had plenty of time to do the same. He added in a statement: ???The blue vehicle was making no attempt to move out. I could see it getting closer and closer to the cyclist and still not making any attempt to move out. ???As I passed the van, I heard a crunch. I looked in my rear view mirror and could see the cyclist on the floor. I could clearly see the cyclist from a good distance. I cannot think why the driver of the other vehicle did not see her.??? Mr Osbourne said he immediately stopped, and told the van driver who had jumped out: ???What the f*** do you think you are doing????, and he replied: ???I didn???t see her???.??? He found Ms Tye lying on her side, not breathing and bleeding from her arm, and gave her CPR with the help of another woman for around 20 minutes. Another driver Charlotte Spinks who was with her parents and ten-year-old daughter in a Range Rover Evoque described overtaking cyclists before seeing the blue van failing to move over for another cyclist ahead. Her mother Mrs Margaret Spinks who ran to help Ms Tye said she and other cyclists had been riding ???well to the left??? of the left hand lane. Mrs Spinks said that a man standing next to her while on the phone, said: ???I am trying to ring my boss. I was looking for my drink. I didn???t even see her. What will I get???? She added: ???I was shocked at what he said and I moved away.??? Hill was seriously injured when he crashed his car into a tree in 2013 in Dennington, Suffolk. He suffered broken ribs, two punctured lungs, internal bleeding and a head injury putting pressure on his brain, but recovered after spending a moth in an induced coma at Addenbrooke???s Hospital, Cambridge. Former Hadleigh mayor Frank Minns paid tribute to Mrs Tye after her death, saying she said she achieved some "really good" things during her 15 months as town council manager.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SEI_268760761-fa7a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Judge Bate said Mrs Tye, a former manager of Hadleigh Town Council in Suffolk, was a ‘loving daughter, sister and friend to so many’, and said her death had a devastating impact on her husband and wider family.
Mr Tye’s husband Christopher described the ‘devastating’ consequences of her death in a statement which was read to the court.
He said that he had ‘come to the numbing realisation that having set off together in this race he’s now on his own’, and told how he was now ‘no longer able to take part in such races’.
Michael Clare, defending Hill, said Hill had been ‘looking down at his drinks bottle or wiping messages from his [phone] screen’ when the crash happened.
He described it as ‘more than a momentary distraction’ behind the wheel and said it had been a ‘brief but avoidable distraction’.
Mr Clare said Hill had ‘no memory of what happened’, but had co-operated with police and was remorseful.
Ms Tye, a member of Plomesgate Cycling Club, was taking part in a 50-mile trial event organised by the Breckland Cycling Club, which involved riding on a section of the A11 between Snetterton and Thetford, Norfolk
She was wearing a white and yellow top with flashing lights on her front and back when the crash happened on a straight section of the road with good visibility, in fine weather conditions.
Following her death, cycling time trials were suspended on the dual carriageway pending a review into safety measures.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
