A former army major who killed his pillon passenger partner when his motorcycle crashed into a car has been sentenced.

Jonathan Ginder, 61, of Hall Street, Soham, crashed his BMW motorbike into a black Mazda on the A1M in Hertfordshire just before midday on Saturday January 11 2020.

He did not see the Mazda in the outside lane when he came onto the northbound carriageway at junction six, the Welwyn turn.

That’s when his motorbike came into contact with the nearside rear door of the Mazda and then hit the central reservation.

Ria Malone, a 56-year-old nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and Ginder’s girlfriend of three years, was killed.

Ginder suffered a broken left tibia and knee ligament damage, leaving him immobilised for six months.

He appeared at St Albans crown court on November 26 having pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

“The prosecution says he [Ginder] performed some observations but failed to notice the Mazda in lane two,” said prosecutor Will Noble.

Mr Noble said the speed of the motorbike, which was estimated at between 56 and 68mph was a contributory factor.

“Ginder crossed lane one in a second and did not allow himself sufficient time to move to lane two,” he said.

“The prosecution say it was not far short of dangerous driving. He had traversed from the slip road to lane two in just 3.2 seconds.”

The Mazda had been traveling at 70mph. The fatal crash was captured on the dash cam from a van that was travelling behind.

Defending, Trever Burke QC said Ginder was a man of good character with no previous convictions.

“Ginder has not ridden a motorcycle since the incident and has no intention of riding a motorbike again,” he said.

“The victim was his partner – he loved her and she loved him. They were committed to spending the rest of their lives together. She had adopted his passion for motorcycles.”

Judge Michael QC Kay said: “Nobody intended this to happen. Nobody wanted this to happen. On all measures, it is a terrible tragedy.”

Ginder passed a 10-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He must abide by a curfew for four months between 8pm and 6am.

He was banned from driving for 12 months.