A MAN from Worcester has been jailed for four and a half years after killing an armed forces veteran while driving.

Florin Solomon was using his phone to access his Amazon account while behind the wheel of a lorry, travelling through a red light and hitting the side of a car driven by Mark Byrne.

29 year-old Solomon, of Lansdowne Road, Worcester, who was driving through Leigh in Greater Manchester, on January 21, hit Mr Byrne’s Toyota Corolla, also severely injuring his wife Julie, who suffered a fractured sternum and extensive bruising.

Solomon pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving, and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on May 18.

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He had initially told police he went through the lights on amber and that Mr Byrne had turned into his path.

Footage showed, however, that the lights were on red for at least eight seconds before the crash and that Mr Byrne had driven lawfully.

Analysis of Solomon’s phone by investigators also disproved his claim he had placed an order on Amazon when stopped at a junction.

Prosecuting, David Lees said: “It is the Crown’s case that had the defendant been concentrating on the road the collision would have been avoided.”

Mr and Mrs Byrne were returning home from a hospital appointment at the time of the collision. Mr Byrne received his MBE in 2003 for his armed service and his 10 years of charitable work for children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

He worked in Whitehall as a private soldier before he was posted to Germany in the 1990s, returning to the country as a civil servant for the Ministry of Defence.

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The court also heard father of three and grandfather Mr Byrne had planned to foster children with his wife as part of their retirement.

In a victim personal statement Mrs Byrne said she had lost her “soul mate” and that “getting through each day is a task” as she still suffers physical pain and nightmares.

Sentencing, Judge Graeme Smith told Solomon: “It has been accepted that it was your stupidity and recklessness that led to the accident.”

Rebecca Caulfield, defending, said: “He is still a young man. On release he can still make a positive contribution to society and is unlikely to be seen before the courts again.”

Solomon was also banned from driving for five years and 11 months and must pass an extended retest before he can be allowed back on the road.